Just A Kiss
by Ittlebitz
Summary: Kurt and Rachel have been best friends since Rachel, her half brother Blaine, and her Dads moved in down the street from Kurt. When Kurt gets a mysterious kiss backstage after a performance, he and Rachel are determined to discover who Kurt's admirer is.
1. Who Could It Be

**This is my own contribution to the Anderberry sibling craze sweeping the fandom. I know that I have A Moment Of Serendipity in progress as well as two other stories in planning stages, but this is one that grabbed me and would not let go. Sanity? Sleep? A life? Who needs it? I shall write! *maniacal laughing***

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Who Could It Be?**

Kurt Hummel rolled his eyes and wished, not for the first time, that he had remembered to bring ear plugs or headphones. Or that they were even legal to wear when driving. Something, _anything_ to drown out the sound of endless bickering coming from his best friend Rachel Berry and her older half brother, Blaine Anderson. Kurt huffed in annoyance, even though one would think he would be used to it since Rachel and Blaine had been like this ever since he met them three years ago when they moved into a house down the street from him. They were on their way to McKinley High to perform for a Glee club fund raiser to help pay for their trip to Sectionals, and much to Rachel's obvious fury, Blaine insisted on accompanying them.

"Don't think you can get away with spying on us, Blaine, I will be watching you all night," Rachel seethed, turning around in her seat to glare at Blaine. "We are not performing anything that will give away any of our Sectional selections, so there is no way you will get any information to take back to the Warblers."

"Jesus, Rachel, I'm not even _wearing_ my Dalton uniform right now. Dad told me I was to come support you since he and Papa can't make it. When we get there you can just forget I am even there," Blaine threw his hands up in the air in annoyance.

"I wish," Rachel grumbled. "Honestly, Blaine, I wouldn't have told Daddy and Papa you weren't there. You shouldn't be here. I don't need you here. _We_ don't need you here."

"We're almost there," broke in Kurt, changing the subject in a desperate attempt to stave off the beginnings of yet _another_ argument. "Are you nervous, Rachel?"

"Nerves are for amateurs and impostors," scoffed Rachel with a smirk as she threw a superior look at Blaine, knowing his pre-performance routine to help with jitters. Blaine rolled his eyes in response and threw himself back against the car seat in annoyance.

"But we are performing Born This Way wearing shirts proclaiming something about us that we perceive as a flaw or that people have given us a hard time for," said Kurt, knowing her white T-shirt had NOSE emblazoned across it. He thought briefly of his own shirt with LIKES BOYS in bold across his chest.

"Yes, well, no matter the reason for the performance, I refuse to let it cause me any distress. It is still a performance and I was born to perform," Rachel answered with a giggle. She shot Blaine a warning look when she heard his audible groan. "Shut up, Blaine. When we get to school just find somewhere in the back to sit where hopefully no one can see you. With any luck, no one will realize who you are."

"And hey, we're here," said Kurt with forced cheer as he pulled into a parking place in front of the auditorium. "All ashore that's going ashore." He quickly got out and grabbed everything he had brought along for the evening. Rachel grabbed his arm and walked next to him, not waiting to see if Blaine followed.

When they got to the doors of the school, a hand on Rachel's arm stopped her. She huffed in annoyance and said, "_What_, Blaine?"

"I'm going to go find a seat. I'll catch up to you after the event. Break a leg or something," Blaine smirked at Rachel before briefly glancing at Kurt. Something unreadable flashed in his hazel eyes quickly before it was gone and Blaine disappeared into the auditorium.

"God, he is just _so_ annoying. I can't believe we are actually related," Rachel said, sounding extremely put out. Kurt hid his smile and managed not to giggle. Rachel and Blaine were both extremely talented and highly competitive. In fact, they were more alike than they realized. It was no wonder they got on each other's last nerve.

Rachel and Kurt hurried back stage to join the rest of New Directions. They actually had a decent turn out for once and it looked like their fundraiser might actually be a success this time. They performed several of their best songs, including Don't Stop Believing, Empire State of Mind, Push It and Tik Tok. Backstage between performances was a flurry of activity as they hurriedly changed outfits for each song. Born This Way was to be their big finale and each member had a shirt that proclaimed their insecurity to the world.

Kurt styled his hair, giving it a tousled look. He took a black eyeliner and quickly lined his lids to give them definition. He loved this song and had been looking forward to this performance for weeks. Glossing his lips to make them shine, he quickly pulled on the red and black jacket he would wear at the beginning of the song. Taking a quick breath, he went to his place at center stage. He was ready for this.

It was one of New Direction's best performances ever. The audience had been captured from the moment the spotlight landed on Kurt and he spoke the first words of the song in a lower register than his normal. When Mercedes and Tina ripped his jacket open, an audible gasp had gone up from the crowd, then cheers started. As the rest of New Directions joined in singing and dancing, the crowd got more and more into it. Everyone was on their feet, dancing along to the music, many singing along. When the song ended, the applause was thunderous and whistles and cheers could be heard.

New Directions hurried along the darkened backstage area to get to the changing rooms where a jubilant Mr. Schue awaited them. It was in the dark passage that Kurt felt a hand catch his arm. He was pulled to the side and caught by a pair of arms. Suddenly, Kurt found himself being thoroughly kissed by soft, warm lips. Kurt felt an electric shock travel down his spine and he gasped in shock and confusion.

A voice softly whispered, "I love you, Kurt." A warm cheek pressed against his for a mere second, and then it was gone. Suddenly, Kurt found himself alone, gasping and trembling. He looked around wildly, trying to see if he could make out anyone in the darkness. Who could it have possibly been? He stumbled forward, finally reaching the changing area where Mr. Schue was effusively praising them for their performance that evening. Kurt barely heard a word, too busy replaying what just happened in his mind.

Who could it have been? Kurt knew it wasn't any of the guys from New Directions. They had all been ahead of him and loudly congratulating each other. And it had most definitely been a guy who kissed him. Kurt had felt the strength in the arms that held him so briefly, noticed a light spice of aftershave, felt the lightest stubble when the cheek pressed against his. Kurt bit his lip, thinking hard. Surely it had to be a joke. Some guys from school had gotten together and decided it would be funny to play a prank on the openly gay guy. But would they have taken it so far as to actually kiss him? Knowing the boys he went to school with, Kurt rather doubted it. This left him even more confused.

Thinking back again to the kiss, Kurt had to admit it had been pretty exciting. Whoever it had been had been gentle, the kiss smooth without groping for his mouth or bumping his nose or any of the other awkward things that can happen with kissing. Kurt wished he had not been so stunned and could have taken note as to height or anything that might give him a clue.

Rachel bounced up to Kurt happily on a post performance high, as usual. "Kurt! You were so awesome! Don't you think I was amazing tonight, as always?"

When Kurt didn't answer, she frowned and looked at him questioningly. Kurt looked very distracted and out of sorts. Rachel grabbed his hand, which shook Kurt from his reverie and got him to focus his attention on her. She looked at him carefully and said, "Kurt? Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded distractedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, do you think I can spend the night tonight? I have something really, really important to tell you."

Rachel nodded, dark eyes wide in a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Of course you can. My dads won't mind and Blaine will probably either stay in his room or go out with his buddies. We'll watch movies and eat ice cream and have a girl's night, alright?"

Kurt nodded. He and Rachel gathered their things and went back to the auditorium to find Blaine so they could leave. He was sitting in one of the front row chairs, texting on his phone and looking rather bored.

"Finally, there you are. I was starting to think you had snuck out another way to avoid me," he said, standing up and stretching.

"I only wish I had thought of it," Rachel said, rolling her eyes. They started their arguing again, but this time Kurt managed to tune them out as he was lost in his own deep thoughts, his lips tingling in remembrance.


	2. Compiling A List

**Hi again, everyone! Wow, the response to this has been far beyond what I imagined! Thank you all so much, all who have read, alerted and reviewed. This just started as a silly Tumblr drabble in response to the Anderberry fanwagon, but I am having such fun with it! **

**Compiling A List**

Later that night, Kurt sat on Rachel's bed with her. **_Funny Girl_** was on the television screen and Kurt was methodically painting Rachel's nails while she sang along to Barbra Streisand.

"Do you think Barbra will get mad if I borrow her '_Hello, Gorgeous_' line for when I win my first award? I don't know if it will be a Tony or an Oscar, of course, but I would so like to pay homage to her like that," Rachel whispered reverently.

Kurt managed to keep a serious look on his face. "I have no doubt that the powers that be will beg for Barbra herself to be the presenter."

Rachel sighed blissfully. "It would be perfect. Of course, I already have my acceptance speech practically written and I specifically mention her as my idol. I wonder if we will ever get the chance to work together?"

Kurt hummed a non committal answer as he surveyed his handiwork. "There. Hold your hands still and let that dry. No waving them around while singing, you don't want that to smudge." He cleared his throat a little nervously and played with the fringe of one of the many pillows on the bed. "Rach? Do you remember I told you I had something important to talk to you about?"

Rachel immediately turned from the TV to look at Kurt. "Of course I remember, Kurt. I have been waiting for you to bring it up. Is everything alright? Usually you are just as excited about a spectacular performance as I am. And you sing Barbra with me. But not today. What's wrong?"

Kurt felt himself blushing as he was suddenly fascinated with the pillow he still held, not wanting to look Rachel in the eyes for this. "Do you remember going back to the changing rooms after Born This Way? It was really dark backstage."

"Oh, it absolutely was," Rachel said, nodding her head. "I nearly tripped over a prop from last year's school musical. At least I think that is what it was." She shuddered as she thought of other possibilities.

"Well, when we were going through there, somebody kissed me," Kurt said, glancing up to take in her reaction.

Rachel stared at him open mouthed in surprise. "_Kissed_ you? Are you _serious_? Oh, my _God_, Kurt! How exciting! Who was it?" Rachel bounced on the bed, her excitement obvious.

Kurt heaved a deep sigh. "That's just it, I don't know who it was. It was dark and I couldn't see who it was or anything!"

Rachel looked carefully at Kurt. "Was it a boy who did it?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. Most definitely."

Rachel looked thoughtful. "Do you think whoever it was knew it was you? Or did they think you were someone else maybe, or just decided to kiss some random person or something?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, he knew it was me, for certain." He looked at Rachel seriously. "Rachel, you can't tell anybody what I am about to tell you. Not Mercedes, not Tina, nobody, do you understand? **Swear** to me on your autographed copy of Patti Lupone's biography."

Rachel gaped at him for a moment before nodding her head in agreement. "Alright, Kurt. I promise. I swear on it."

Kurt took a deep breath. "After he kissed me, he whispered, 'I love you, Kurt,' and then he was gone. And I never did see who it was."

Rachel had clapped both hands over her mouth to contain her squeals. "Oh, my God, Kurt! This is _so_ romantic! A secret admirer, pining for you, waiting in the dark for a chance to touch you, too shy to tell you to your face! Oh, _why_ doesn't this type of thing ever happen to me?"

Kurt tossed the pillow to the side. "It isn't necessarily that romantic, Rachel. I mean, how inconsiderate, _really_! How can he kiss me and say he loves me, then leave me all bewildered like this? If he liked kissing me as much as I liked being kissed, then why stay away from me? He must be a jerk with confidence issues or something. Otherwise he would tell me, right? It just doesn't make any sense."

Rachel was smiling hugely at him. "So you liked it then? It was a good kiss?"

Kurt shook his head with a little laugh. Of course, in all that rant that was what Rachel came away with. "Yes, Rachel. I liked it. In fact, I liked it very much. Satisfied?"

Rachel bounced up and down on her bed in excitement. "Kurt, we _have_ to find this boy! We have to figure this out somehow." She reached under her bed to grab a Hello Kitty spiral notebook and a pink glitter gel pen.

Kurt eyed her suspiciously. "What exactly, if I may be so bold as to inquire, are you planning to do with that?"

"I am making a list, of course. A list of boys that were there tonight," Rachel said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"How in the world would you even know such a thing, Rachel?" Kurt looked at her in astonishment.

Rachel sighed and answered slowly as if she were explaining to a child. "Kurt. Tonight was a fundraiser. Every person there in attendance was recorded as record of money donated. As co-captain of New Directions I have this record so that we are able to properly document and show that our gains were legally obtained within show choir guidelines." Uncapping her pink pen she wrote across the top with a flourish:

**BOYS AT NEW DIRECTIONS FUNDRAISER THAT MIGHT HAVE KISSED KURT**

Rachel reached into her night stand and pulled out a sheet of gold foil stars, her signature mark. Solemnly, she put one in each upper corner. "There! Now it's official."

Kurt stared at the paper, trying hard not to feel a little silly about it all. "Is that really necessary?"

Rachel gave him the look she usually reserved for Mr. Schue when he suggested they perform yet another song that hadn't been popular since before any of them were born. "Kurt, do you or don't you want to find this guy?"

Kurt looked at her levelly for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding. "You're right. Let's look at your list and try to narrow it down. No teachers or anything creepy like that."

Rachel was already writing names on the list, sticking her tongue out in concentration. She referenced back and forth between the two lists several times and then rechecked it before presenting it to Kurt. "Here, take a look at this. See if there is anyone on there you can absolutely eliminate."

Kurt looked at the list carefully. "Okay, you can go ahead and mark off Jacob Ben Israel. Just, _ew_. My guy also didn't wear glasses. And besides, there is no way I could have missed that hair."

Rachel nodded, relief on her face as she crossed through the name.

"You can also cross off Tommy Harkins. I am pretty sure he is straight. Besides, he has braces and I am pretty sure I would have noticed that," Kurt said thoughtfully.

Rachel blinked at him and raised one eyebrow. "Would you have, now?" she asked teasingly, giggling as Kurt's cheeks darkened to a dark pink.

Kurt cleared his throat and went back to reading the list. "Wait a minute. _David Karofsky?_ Are you serious?"

Rachel nodded vehemently. "Absolutely, Kurt. He's _always_ looking at you in the hallway between classes. And I am pretty sure you are why he was at the fundraiser in the first place. Besides, Santana says he's gay and you know her gaydar is rarely ever wrong."

Kurt pondered this for a moment before looking at the list again. He groaned when he read the next name. "God, Rachel, _really_? Finn?"

Rachel shrugged defensively. "Well, he came in after you did. And maybe-"

Kurt interrupted her, "Rachel, first off, if he were actually interested, he had his chance already when I had a crush on him last year. He's straight, remember? Besides, we all know you like him, and he was hanging around you most of the night. Not to mention the fact that his mom is dating my dad and that would be all sorts of awkward to the point of needing lots of therapy in the future. Cross him off."

Rachel tried not to look too happy as she complied. "And don't forget the new transfer student, Sebastian Smythe. He has been pretty open about being gay and if you ask me, sneaking up on someone in the dark and kissing them seems just like something he might do. Although, I do have to admit, he's very good looking."

Kurt looked at her skeptically. "But I barely know him, certainly not well enough for him to say he loves me."

"You can change that. Maybe it was love at first sight, Kurt. Maybe he has been watching you all this time, knowing you were the one, suffering in silence like a romantic martyr just aching to touch you," Rachel practically had stars in her eyes as she sighed with the mental image she had just given herself.

Kurt rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Oh, my God, Rachel! Did you really put Sam on the list?"

"Bi. Has to be, nothing else makes sense. Sure, he dated Quinn and Santana, but he checks out guys, too. I am almost certain last summer he had a crush on Blaine," Rachel said as she checked her list again. "Oh! We don't want to forget Rich, the guy from the jazz band. I am almost certain he is gay and it seems like he watches you a lot during Glee."

Kurt stared at the paper in a slight state of disbelief. "This is just so...surreal. What now?"

Rachel smiled happily at Kurt. "What do you think, silly? You are going to be flirty and friendly with these guys. And when they ask you out, you will say yes. You just have to get them to talk to you and we will eventually figure out which one is the mystery guy. This is going to be such fun!"

Kurt squirmed a little. This wasn't exactly his style, but it was worth a shot. He just hoped he could do this without seeming desperate for a date or dying of humiliation.

Rachel was putting the last touches on her master list when a knock came at her door. "What is it, Blaine?" she yelled through the closed door.

Blaine opened the door part way and stuck his head in. "I am headed out with Wes and David, okay? I have my phone if you need me for anything. Oh, and I left the menu for that new vegan restaurant on the kitchen counter if you want to have something delivered."

"Thanks, brother, dear. Now if you will excuse us, we are working on a major project," Rachel gave Blaine a brief smile before waving a hand dismissively. Blaine slanted a quick glance at the two of them poring over a notebook before backing out and quietly shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	3. Fighting Between Friends

**Hi everyone! Here's the next update for my Anderberry fic. I want to go ahead and assure everyone that this _will_ end up Klaine, it just might take some time to get there. Cluelessness and all. So a bit of set up here, but everyone hold on tight, because oh, the drama...**

**Fighting Between Friends**

Rachel read over her finalized version of the list one more time, chewing lightly on her pink pen. She had crossed out most of the names of boys they had eliminated, but she had made notes on each of the main suspects that she felt were pertinent points.

**_David Karofsky_**  
><em>Football player. Not officially out of the closet, but seems to always be looking forat Kurt. Tall and strong, nice shoulders. Nice smile, when he shows it. Hangs out with Azimio._

**_Sam Evans_**  
><em>Football player and New Directions member. Got a black eye from Rick "The Stick" defending Kurt. Has dated girls but has possible bisexual tendencies? Good lips for kissing. Good dancer.<em>

**_Sebastian Smythe_**  
><em>New transfer student. Out and very proud. Tends to smirk a lot, but is good looking enough to back it up. Gives impression of sophistication, may try too hard. Rather arrogant, even if he is hot.<em>

**_Rich Landry_**  
><em>Member of jazz band. Likes to keep an eye on Kurt during practices and performances. Very shy but smart and takes accelerated classes. Nice hair and good hands, always a plus.<em>

"Alright, Kurt, I think these are your most likely admirers. Now we need to get you into situations where you can talk to them and get to know each of them better," Rachel said, beaming at him.

Kurt's cheeks were pink as he read her commentary on each one. "Rachel, I don't know. This seems like it is going to be so awkward. I'm not going to have to kiss all these guys, am I?"

Rachel giggled "And so what if you did? Would that be a bad thing? Loosen up, Kurt! You are a teenager, you are supposed to be having fun! Look, we will find your mystery boy and everything will be wonderful. And maybe you will help me with Finn? Find out if he likes me?" She gave him a hopeful look.

"I guess I will try," Kurt said, still feeling unsure.

* * *

><p>At school the next day, Kurt got to Glee practice early and before everyone else. No one was in the room except for the jazz band, which was warming up. They all greeted him as he put his things down, and Kurt couldn't help but notice Rich was among them. He decided to take advantage of this moment and try to talk to him. Straightening his shoulders, he walked over to the musicians with a bright smile.<p>

"Hi, guys, how's it going?" Kurt addressed the group, making sure to smile directly at Rich. They all replied to the affirmative, being friendly in return. Kurt leaned against Brad's piano and watched as Rich wiped his horn with a soft cloth before using an oil on the inside of the buttons on top.

"So why do you have to put oil on those? Isn't that dirty?" Kurt questioned, trying to start a conversation. He was rewarded when Rich flashed him a bright smile.

"No, actually the oil helps the valves slide and not get stuck when I play. It's an important part of instrument maintenance. I take good care of this baby so it takes care of me. Together, we create art," Rich gave the horn another gentle wipe as he grinned at Kurt.

"That's cool. I didn't know so much went into instrument care, although I suppose it makes sense. Do you play anything else?" Kurt asked, curious to know more.

Rich looked surprised for a moment, then smiled shyly. "I have before, but trumpet is my main deal. I actually am the section leader in band and am going to all-state competition next month. If I do well, there is a good chance I can try for a musical scholarship. Would you-would you maybe like to hear me play? Maybe Friday after school?"

Kurt nodded agreeably. He found himself rather fascinated with the instrument and was curious to know more, like what it took to make it play. And Rich seemed really nice. "Sure, I think I would like that," he answered.

Rich grinned and said, "Cool. I will meet you in the band room then. Looks like everyone's coming in, guess I better get back to warming up."

Kurt gave him a little wave and went back to his seat. Rachel was waiting for him, a huge smile on her face. She grabbed his hand as he sat down, obviously trying hard not to bounce in her seat or squeal. "Well?" she asked, eyes sparkling.

"Later," Kurt shushed her, not wanting a typical Rachel Berry overreaction to grab everyone's attention.

After Glee was over, Kurt and Rachel walked into Rachel's house. Kurt had told her about his talk with Rich and that he had invited him to listen to him play. Rachel was bubbling in excitement, but Kurt was feeling a bit of anxiety.

"Rachel, I want you to tear that silly list up. I just don't like having that all out in writing like that. It makes me nervous, I mean, what if it got lost at school or something? I would have to move to a different state, change my name and start a new life because I could never show my face at McKinley again," Kurt said.

At that moment, Blaine and his friends Wes and David came running down the stairs, laughing uproariously about something. They were on their way to fencing practice and were all wearing tight Dalton shirts that accentuated their muscular chests and shoulders. The boys barely spared a glance towards Rachel and Kurt as they jumped into Blaine's Jeep and left, music blaring.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we need to destroy the list, Rachel. Let's go get it and do it now," Kurt said.

Rachel turned to him in surprise. "But, Kurt, I don't have it. You must have taken it with you."

Kurt stared at her open mouthed for a moment. "No, Rachel, I _don't_ have it. You kept it here. I _know_ you did." He pushed past her to run upstairs to her room. He ran into the room and looked around wildly, not seeing the familiar piece of paper with the gold stars and pink writing anywhere. Frantically, he started looking everywhere. Under the bed, on the dresser and vanity, and even the desk.

Rachel burst into the room in an obvious huff. She glared at Kurt, who was shuffling through papers on her desk. "_Excuse_ me, Kurt, those are my school assignments and my song writing notes, and I would appreciate you not wrinkling them or getting them all unorganized."

Kurt whipped around and glared right back at her. "And _I_ would appreciate if you were just a little more considerate with something so intimate and personal about me. Are you deliberately hiding it from me? Because I know for a fact that I didn't take it with me."

Rachel crossed her arms and tapped one foot in annoyance. "As if I would do that! Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, you _know_ I would do nothing of the kind!"

"Rachel, you have ten seconds to produce that list. I am dead serious," Kurt said, chest heaving in agitation as he threw the comforter up to rummage under the bed.

"_KURT_! Stop wrecking my room! There is such a thing as boundaries and privacy, you know," Rachel shrieked, eyes flashing in anger.

Kurt glared back, just as angry. "Privacy? You want to talk to me about privacy when you have been so careless with the most private thing to ever happen to me in my entire life?"

"Why don't you just go home, Kurt? If that list was so important you should have taken better care of it. It's not as if every boy in school is suddenly in love with you," Rachel sneered.

Kurt stood stock still for a moment. "You _bitch_," he breathed before hurtling past her and out of her room. He couldn't stand to be there in her presence. He happened to glance through the open doorway to Blaine's room and skidded to a stop. There, on Blaine's desk was a familiar piece of paper with pink ink and gold stars. Kurt ran into the room and snatched the paper up with shaking hands. His face was hot with humiliation as he remembered Blaine and his friends laughing as they left. No doubt they had read the whole thing and had themselves a good laugh about it. Fury washed over Kurt and he stormed back into Rachel's room, shaking the paper in her stunned face.

"What the _hell_, Rachel? You're supposed to be my best friend! I tell you about this in strictest confidence, and what do you do? You give it to your brother who showed it to his friends and is probably at this very moment laughing himself sick and will no doubt spread the word everywhere. I am going to be the laughingstock of the whole school, of freakin' Dalton, and probably the entire _town_! I hope you're happy because my whole life is over and I am _never_ going to speak to you again!" Kurt shrieked, tears of humiliation and anger running down his face as he turned and ran for the door. He grabbed his school bag before tearing out of the house to his car.

Kurt backed out of the driveway and pressed the gas hard, causing the tires to squeal. He fumed all the way home, sure he had never been so hurt and humiliated in his entire life. When he got home, he went straight to his room and slammed the door closed for good measure. He still had the list clenched in his shaking fist and although he was tempted to tear it into small pieces, set them on fire and dance on the ashes, he decided not to. Instead he smoothed it out the best he could and folded it. He put it into his hardback copy of Wicked, feeling a little pang as he remembered the book had been a gift from Rachel.

Kurt buried his face in his hands. He and Rachel had been best friends since the day she and her family moved in. They were practically a pair; most people at school referred to them as Hummelberry instead of their names, and a few who were less friendly referred to her as his hag or fruitfly. They were always together, be it singing or shopping or planning their future in New York as Broadway stars.

Everywhere Kurt looked in his room, there were signs of Rachel. There were pictures of them on his vanity mirror, taken over the last few years. One of them performing together on the custom stage her dads had built in the basement for Rachel and Blaine to perform and entertain. One of them with Kurt wearing his Cheerios uniform and Rachel wearing his old football jersey. One of them arm in arm, wearing their New York City shirts with a grinning Blaine sneaking up behind them in his Dalton jersey to give them both rabbit ears. A souvenir bottle of sand and shells from the beach when Kurt went with Rachel and her family to the shore last spring break.

Some of Rachel's clothes were there as well. A puppy sweater that Kurt always teased her about wearing. A set of rainbow color leg warmers. One of her favorite headbands. Her unicorn Pillow Pet. A NYADA Tshirt that she practically lived in on weekends. Kurt was sure there were things of his over at Rachel's house as well. He sniffed. Looking at all these things made him feel even worse, so he packed everything up into a pink duffel bag, also Rachel's, and put it in his closet where he didn't have to see it.

* * *

><p>The next day at school was excruciating. Kurt shared most of his classes with Rachel and they had always sat next to each other. When Kurt went to first period, Rachel's normal seat was empty. Just as the tardy bell rang, she swept into class and pointedly sat in the empty seat in the front row. Kurt felt a brief pang of hurt before anger took over. It was just as well, he wasn't speaking to her anyway. When they went to second period, he made a point to sit in the corner with Mike and Tina where there wasn't another seat available. Sebastian Smythe was in the chair in front of Kurt's and turned around, mischievous grin on his face.<p>

"Well, look who it is. And here I thought I was destined to be ignored. You moving to this seat?" he asked, winking at Kurt.  
>Kurt blushed and said, "Most likely just for today." Sebastian was a guy who was very flirtatious and had dangerous potential.<p>

At just that moment Rachel walked in and went to her normal seat. She saw Sebastian grinning at Kurt and rolled her eyes before tossing her hair over her shoulder and turning her back to them. Kurt bit his lip and hoped fervently that Rachel didn't make a point to tell Sebastian about the list just to embarrass him.

The rest of the day was just as awkward. People looked at him strangely all day. Most likely it was because he and Rachel were not together, but his paranoid mind was convinced that Rachel and Blaine had told everyone about the list and everyone was laughing. Mercedes and Tina flatly refused to become involved, preferring to stay out of the middle. In glee club, Kurt sat with Brittany and Santana while Rachel sat with Quinn. Even Mr. Schue, who was normally clueless, looked confused at the two former friends who were determined to ignore each other.

When Kurt got home that afternoon, Burt looked at him for a moment in confusion before asking, "Where's Rachel?" Great. Even his own father barely knew who he was without Rachel.

The rest of the week continued in the same fashion. Kurt found himself dreading the weekend, which suddenly seemed to stretch interminably and lonely ahead of him. He couldn't think of a weekend in recent memory where Rachel had not been by his side. Friday at lunch, Rich had waved shyly at him during lunch and stopped at his table to remind him that he had agreed to listen to him play that afternoon. Kurt thought quickly. His locker was next to Rachel's and he didn't want to chance running into her. Knowing her she would announce in her loudest voice that Kurt was seeing Rich or something equally not true.

"I will meet you in the music room after school, then?" Kurt asked. Rich nodded and grinned as he walked away. Kurt closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, sincerely hoping he would live to see the end of the day.

After school, Kurt walked into the music room where Rich had his music stand set up. He showed Kurt his horn, taking time to explain how the valves worked and other basic information. He took a few minutes to warm up, then started playing, the rich tone vibrating throughout the room. He played several selections for Kurt, some fun ones like what they played for pep rallies and football games, some more serious and complicated. Kurt was amazed at how quickly his fingers flew over the keys.

When he finished, Rich quickly cleaned the instrument, laughing at Kurt's face when he emptied the spit valve. He carefully cleaned the mouth piece before putting it into his case. Rich then made Kurt laugh by pursing his lips and making a buzzing sound.

"What is that all about?" Kurt asked, still giggling.

"My lips get sore when I play for long periods of time. It's important to have a good embouchure when you play brass. It makes a huge difference in your tone and sound quality," Rich answered with a smile.

"An em-what?" Kurt questioned, unfamiliar with the word.

"Embouchure. Using your facial muscles and holding your mouth a certain way to play an instrument. They, um, well, they say that brass players are good kissers because of ours," he glanced quickly at Kurt and blushed before looking quickly away.

Kurt froze for a second and then quickly scrambled out of his chair. "I, umm, I just remembered my dad wanted me to stop at the store on my way home. Yeah. I have to go."

Kurt grabbed his things quickly and walked to the door in what he hoped didn't appear to be a nervous or desperate escape attempt. He fumbled with the doorknob and jumped when a hand reached over his to twist the knob just so.

"Trick door, only band geeks know the secret," Rich muttered, looking down at the floor. "Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"No, no, that's quite alright, I'm just, I am really in a hurry today. Responsibilities and all," Kurt said, trying not to babble. "Thanks for teaching me about your instrument, it's really awesome and I really hope that you do well at your competition."

Rich blushed harder and said, "Listen, Kurt, I didn't mean-"

"I know, it's cool, I really, _really_ have to go. I'll see you around," Kurt said, shouldering his bag and making his exit.

Kurt got in his car and rested his head against the steering wheel. What an epic fail that had been. One thing was for sure, Rich was _not_ his mystery kisser. There was no way he had been the one to take him so perfectly into his arms and kiss him in such a delicious manner. At that moment Kurt missed Rachel so much he ached with it. He would have been able to tell her about the whole uncomfortable disaster and they probably would have had a bit of a laugh over it, Rachel assuring him that it was no big deal and that these kinds of awkward things happened to everyone. He felt another quick surge of anger at whoever it had been who kissed him only to disappear without a trace.

Kurt noticed Blaine's Jeep in front of his house as he pulled into his driveway. Hoping Blaine had brought Rachel, maybe to make up, Kurt jumped quickly out of his Navigator. He walked quickly to the porch steps and faltered when he saw Blaine sitting on the swing alone, looking uncomfortable. Next to him was a bag that looked to be full. Kurt wondered why Blaine was there. Surely he and Rachel were beyond using a messenger to apologize?

Blaine stood up, rubbing his neck with one hand and thrusting the bag into a shocked Kurt's arms. "Ummm, Rachel said you left some things at our house and wanted me to bring them to you. She should have just brought them herself, but she refused to do it."

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment before the realization swept over him like ice. Of course Blaine hadn't brought Rachel over. She had her own car. And Blaine wasn't there to get Kurt and Rachel to make up. He was there to make the end of their friendship final.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr. com**


	4. Being Apart

**Hi and Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you all have a safe and happy holiday, no matter what you celebrate, and that your time is filled with love and happiness.**

**Here is my gift-an update! Lol. Anyway, moving along here. I will remind everyone not to lose their minds and hate me or anything, this is ABSOLUTELY a Klaine endgame story, but there is serious buildup. So be patient, know it is worth it, and LOVE ME, PLEASE!**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I seriously just adore all of you.**

**Now, on with the story!**

**Being Apart**

Blaine rubbed the back of his neck again. "Rachel said, uh, she said she probably had one or two things that she left over here, too."

Kurt's brain finally kicked into motion, allowing him to speak. "Why _yes_, yes she did. In fact, her stuff was strewn all over my room. Maybe getting it all out of my way will give me more room for my own things," he practically spit, sweeping past Blaine while clutching the bag of his belongings in a tight grip. He unlocked the door but didn't open it.

"Sure, no problem," said Blaine in a subdued voice.

Kurt looked in the bag. Inside was a pair of his favorite skinny jeans, his white Doc Martens, a bottle of his favorite moisturizer that he had been looking everywhere for, two DVDs, and the fanny pack he had worn when they performed Push It. He felt his throat catch as he fought off tears.

When he opened the door, Blaine started to follow him inside. Kurt froze him with an icy glare. "You are more than welcome to wait right here while I get everything," he said, not bothering to be polite.

"I didn't want you to have to...that is, I just figured-" Blaine trailed off when Kurt raised a brow at him.

Kurt remembered that the reason for this whole blow up with Rachel was because of Blaine and the fact that he had that stupid list, which he and his friends most likely stole out of Rachel's room. He glared at Blaine again.

"I have it all packed up, you can just wait right here. I'll only be a moment," Kurt said. He hurried to his room and grabbed the duffel bag and the Pillow Pet out of the closet. Carrying them back to Blaine, he practically threw them at him. "Here. That should be everything."

Blaine tucked the pillow under one arm and hoisted the strap of the bag onto his shoulder. He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other and asked, "That's it, then?"

"Should be," Kurt said, angrily wiping his suddenly wet eyes. This was it, then. The friendship he treasured above all others, the one he depended on most, was gone. Kurt knew he had other friends, but none had been through everything with him like Rachel had. Rachel knew the innermost things about Kurt and his life. Having a person that knew so much about him no longer be his friend was very disconcerting for Kurt. At that moment, all he really wanted was to fling himself into his bed and cry until he had no tears left.

Blaine settled the bag on his shoulder again and looked at Kurt. "What happened with you and Rachel, anyway? All this time the two of you practically needed a pry bar to tear you apart, you were so close, and now you aren't speaking?"

Kurt got angry all over again. Blaine was a huge part of the reason for his fight with Rachel. He gave him another icy glare. "_You_ should know!" He practically pushed Blaine out the door and slammed it shut behind him. He watched through the blinds as Blaine stood there for a moment before slowly walking to his car. He tossed Rachel's things into the back of his Jeep and drove away. Kurt sniffled again and wondered if there was enough ice cream in the freezer to drown his sorrows in.

Burt walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, raising his brows in question as he took in the unusual sight of Kurt eating chocolate ice cream directly from the container. "Bad day?" he questioned.

Kurt licked his spoon before digging back in. "Horrible," he said morosely.

Burt washed his hands at the sink and grabbed a clean towel to dry them on. He looked at Kurt inquisitively. "Was that Rachel's brother I saw leaving?"

Kurt stuck another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. "Yep."

Burt nodded a bit absentmindedly. He looked carefully at Kurt. "I have't seen much of Rachel lately," Burt said, trying to be delicate.

Kurt heaved a deep sigh before tossing his spoon into the sink and replacing the ice cream in the freezer. "I have a lot of homework to do," he muttered, clearly avoiding the subject. Burt watched him with concerned eyes as he turned and walked out.

* * *

><p>Blaine wrapped his hands tightly with support tape. He was at Dalton's weight room after fencing practice, getting ready to work with the large punching bag. It had been a horrible week and Blaine felt like he desperately needed to work out more frustration. No one had wanted to face him at practice, not even the ultra competitive Wes, and even the fencing coach had noticed his more so than usual ferocity and intensity.<p>

Blaine started punching, unleashing all the pent up emotion he was feeling on the uncaring bag. Inside, his mind was reeling and working at a furious pace. Blaine didn't want to think any more, didn't want to feel anymore. He hit the bag over and over, his breath coming in gasps as he pounded away. Throwing his arms around the bag for a moment's rest, he thought about the reason for his emotions.

No one knew how he felt about Kurt Hummel. Not Wes or David, not his Dad or Papa, and not Rachel. _Especially_ not Rachel. Blaine had known since a pretty young age what his sexual orientation was. He was most definitely into boys instead of girls. And as the son of a gay male couple, he had felt all the love and support a gay teen could hope for. The first day they moved into their house, Blaine had been sure he would never find another gay boy in the small town of Lima. That is, until Rachel had come skipping into the house dragging along a perfect boy with the most beautiful eyes Blaine had ever seen. A gay boy, like himself.

Blaine had always envied Rachel the fact that she had met Kurt first. It was _so_ unfair that he hadn't seen Kurt before she had. Initially, Blaine had tried to dismiss his feelings as puppy love for the first gay boy he met in Lima, but time had changed so many things. Kurt had grown taller and leaner, his eyes surrounded by luscious lashes, his nose lightly dusted with adorable freckles and his skin a perfect paleness. His shoulders had broadened and his body, especially his butt and thighs, bespoke of cheerleading practices and dance. To say he had grown up nicely was a bit of an understatement.

_If only Blaine had met him first._

And Blaine had always been there, albeit on the outer fringes, trying to maintain the facade of being the best friend's big brother. Like most siblings, Blaine and Rachel argued. They were both confident and competitive and their dad's often shook their heads in a mixture of amazement and amusement during their quarrels. Anytime Kurt happened to be around, it seemed that he invariably took Rachel's side, even though there were times Blaine was almost positive he actually agreed with him. Blaine usually teased them both about various things, just wanting that interaction with Kurt, even if it was being the aggravating older sibling.

_If only Blaine had met him first._

Watching Kurt perform at the fundraiser for his and Rachel's glee club had been near torture. Blaine had watched in rapt fascination, breathless and aware of every move Kurt made. He had decided that night that he couldn't stand it any longer. He _had_ to know what Kurt's lips tasted like, know how they felt against his without Kurt being able to object to the fact he was Rachel's brother. He had snuck out the back of the auditorium and found a way backstage. He had hidden behind a stack of boxes in the darker part of the hallway leading to the changing areas. When he made out Kurt's distinctive form in the dark, he had acted as quickly as he could.

It had been even better than he had dreamed. Blaine's heart thudded just remembering just how soft and warm Kurt's lips had been and just how perfectly they had fit against his. How he had smelled amazing, like vanilla and spice mixed with a touch of sweat.

All he had been able to think of that night was doing it again. And again. And then some more. But the next day when he had gone into Rachel's room to see if she had one of his CDs, he had seen that paper that she and Kurt had been so immersed in. Glancing at it in curiosity, he had seen that it was a list of boys who had possibly kissed Kurt. He had snatched it up, reading over it to see what it said. And then he had read it again, just to make sure.

His name wasn't on it. Anywhere. Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, remembering how his heart had clenched painfully at the time. He was just Rachel's brother, right? The next thing he had known, he was in his room holding the damned paper, not knowing how he got there with it. He had tossed it on his desk and just thrown himself on his bed to stare at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. When Wes and David had gotten there to go to fencing together, Blaine had been able to make himself act normally and not show how he felt like he was dying inside.

Kurt must like one of those guys on the list. Blaine gritted his teeth and balled up his fists inside the gloves. Stepping back, he started punching viciously at the bag again.

_Sam. Sebastian. Rich. David._

With every hit, Blaine imagined an unknown face of some guy who was lucky enough to have Kurt's interest and too stupid to act on it. He was embarrassed. And he was angry with himself. He had singlehandedly and successfully gotten Kurt to be interested in every gay boy in McKinley. Blaine didn't want Kurt interested in any gay boy but himself. But he had screwed up big time. And to make matters worse, Kurt and Rachel had gotten into a huge fight and weren't speaking to each other or anything. And that meant Kurt was no longer coming to the house.

_You blew it. You blew it. You blew it..._ His mind chanted at him over and over as he continued to hit the punching bag.

* * *

><p>Kurt was an early riser by habit. One did not perform a rigorous skin care routine each morning by sleeping in, after all. However, this morning he was awake more because he was having some trouble sleeping. He missed Rachel. His normal calling and texting with Rachel was something he didn't know he depended on so heavily until it wasn't there anymore. Kurt sighed sadly as he walked outside to sit on his front porch swing. He was sitting there, idly swinging back and forth gently when a flash of color caught his eye. He smiled in recognition when he recognized Sam Evans jogging on the sidewalk in front of the house. Kurt knew Sam lived nearby, but hadn't known it was close enough to have him jog down his particular street. Despite the bite of cold in the air, he was wearing a McKinley High Athletic Department shirt and red WMHS shorts.<p>

Sam happened to glance up and see Kurt sitting on his porch. He grinned hugely and pulled his iPod earphones out. "Hey, Kurt! How's it going?" he asked as he jogged in place.

Kurt smiled weakly back. "Hi, Sam. Nice morning for a run."

Sam nodded. "Yup. Gets my blood flowing and my mind revved up and ready to face the day. You should try it."

Kurt considered for a moment. "Maybe I will sometime."

"Why don't you go with me tomorrow morning? I go down by the elementary school, over to the old laundromat and back up again," Sam said.

Kurt bit his lip thoughtfully. This would be a good chance to combine a good fitness regime with spending some time outside of school with Sam, who was still possibly a suspect as the ever mysterious backstage kisser. "Okay, why not? I'll give it a go. Just be thankful I have some endurance, courtesy of Coach Sylvester's Cheerios P.A.T. That means you won't have to carry me back," he said, smiling at Sam.

Sam chuckled. "Sorry, but what is P.A.T. anyway?"

Kurt giggled and said, "What else? Pain, Agony and Torture!"

Sam's laugh rang out in the crisp morning air. "Excellent. Sue and Coach Beiste may have more in common than they thought. Listen, I gotta go so I can get back to get ready for school and be on time, but will I see you tomorrow morning?"

Kurt nodded and grinned. "Absolutely. I'll be ready."

The next morning Kurt was dressed in sweats and a long sleeved wicking shirt, stretching and waiting for Sam. When he saw the familiar red coming up the sidewalk he got ready to jump in next to Sam so as not to throw his pace off. Together, they jogged up the street.

"I'm really glad you wanted to come out with me, Kurt. It really helps to have someone to exercise with. Keeps me motivated and excited about it all," Sam said, smiling and still breathing easily.

Kurt managed a small smile as he tried to pace his breathing. He saw Blaine's Jeep coming and out of habit raised his hand in a small wave. He was a little surprised at the glare Blaine gave him as he drove by, but then, Kurt supposed it was to be expected. On top of the whole fight with Rachel, he had not been particularly nice to Blaine their last encounter. But for some reason, it bothered him just a bit, although he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why. He tried to put it out of his mind as he and Sam made their way on their planned route.

At school, Kurt noticed a real difference in how he felt after exercising in the morning. He felt more alive and aware, his head more clear. He decided that he would most definitely continue morning exercise, be it running with Sam or something else. He had just put his books in his locker and gotten his materials needed for his study period when a deep voice said, "Um, hey, hi, Kurt."

Kurt turned around and was surprised to see a blushing David Karofsky standing behind him. He seemed nervous, shifting back and forth on his feet. Kurt remembered in a brief flash of thought that David was one of his possible suspects and how he hadn't believed it when Rachel put him on the list. _Well, this was interesting...and just a bit awkward._

"Hi, David," Kurt said, trying not to sound too confused or anything.

"Dave," the other boy said, cheeks flushing even more.

"I'm sorry?" Kurt said, momentarily confused.

"Dave. Call me Dave, please. Only the teachers call me David. Or my mom when she's pissed at me for something," he said, grinning now, a bit shyly.

Kurt nodded. "Okay, Dave it is. So, what can I do for you?"

Dave's eyes flashed back and forth nervously. "Yeah, so I thought you did a really good job when you were singing at the fundraiser."

Kurt raised an eyebrow in surprise. _Well_. He hadn't expected this. Oh God, was Dave _the one?_ Kurt wasn't sure what he though about that. "Thank you, I appreciate you saying that. We had a good time performing."

Dave nodded rapidly, still looking nervous. "Yeah. So, um, yeah, listen, you know there's a holiday party at Azimio's coming up. I wanted to ask-that is, would you maybe want to go? With me?" He shook his head slightly as if frustrated. "Would you like to go with me?"

Kurt was looking at him in a slight state of shock. "What? You want me to-wait, _what?_"

Dave looked at the floor with downcast eyes. "It's okay, it was just a thought." He started to turn away to leave.

Kurt's brain finally clicked and he reached out a hand to touch Dave's arm hesitantly. He could go with him and try to determine if he might in fact, be the one who kissed him. "Dave? I think I'd like to go. With you," he clarified, feeling a little shy.

Dave looked shocked, as if he had expected to be turned down, had actually thought he had been turned down. When he realized what Kurt was saying to him, he smiled delightedly. It did wonders for him, and Kurt was reminded of what Rachel had said about his smile.

"You would? Awesome! Can I get your phone number and I can call you so we can figure out details and all that?" Dave said, sounding both relieved and excited.

"Sure," said Kurt, waiting as Dave fished out his cell phone. He recited his number for Dave, then had Dave text him so he had his number as well.

"Okay, well, I will see you around, yeah? Talk to you later," Kurt said, waving at Dave as the warning bell rang and he turned to go to class.

Just outside his classroom, a heavy arm fell over his shoulders, startling Kurt from his thoughts. He looked quizzically at Finn Hudson, who was grinning at him.

"Kurt! Dude! My soon to be brother from another mother!" Finn said, walking in step with Kurt and keeping his arm around his shoulder. They were both convinced it was just a matter of time before their parents made things official.

"Finn, why do you insist on calling me dude?" Kurt said with a long suffering sigh but still grinning back at the other boy. Having their parents dating had made them become more friendly since they invariably ended up in each other's company often.

Rachel came around the corner of another hallway and took in the sight of Finn smiling widely with his arm slung comfortably around a smiling Kurt's shoulder. She gave them a withering look and flounced past them. Finn looked back at her in confusion and then at Kurt.

"What do you suppose _that_ was all about?" Finn wondered aloud, looking befuddled. Kurt didn't say a word, his lips tightening. He knew _exactly_ what it was about. Rachel, her unrequited crush on Finn, and her innate ability to jump to conclusions that were often wrong. He murmured a goodbye to Finn and raced in the direction that Rachel had gone. No matter how hostile they were being to each other, Kurt was not about to let Rachel think that he and Finn were-no. Just no, no, _no_.

But she was nowhere to be found. Kurt stomped his foot in frustration when the tardy bell rang. He had no choice but to get to class.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	5. Where Is He?

**Greetings and salutations, everyone! Moving right along and on with the show. Things are certainly getting interesting for Kurt! What happens next? **

**Thank you so very much to everyone who has read, alerted, reviewed, talked to me on Tumblr, anything. It is all appreciated so much. I am so glad you are enjoying my little story. I am having such fun writing it, and I definitely love it when people find me on Tumblr! :D**

**Some have expressed some concern that I am abandoning A Moment Of Serendipity. I want to assure you all that is_ NOT_ the case and I am working on an update for it at this time. I also want to thank everyone who has checked AMOS out because of reading this story. It is my baby, after all, and I do love you for it! So...**

**Away we go!**

**Where Is He?**

Kurt fell into a routine of going running every morning with Sam. He was learning a lot from Sam about breathing and pacing, and Sam had asked him about possibly working out together in the weight room sometimes as well. Kurt noticed a difference in his energy, and his physique, which was already fit and trim from Cheerios, was becoming even more muscular and defined. But Kurt still hadn't been able to determine if Sam was his mystery kisser or not.

One morning, as they were wrapping up their run and were nearing Kurt's house, Sam started looking a bit anxious. When they got to the driveway, Sam seemed almost awkward and nervous.

"So, I guess you have probably heard that Azimio is having a party, right?" Sam asked, not looking at Kurt.

Kurt knew if his face weren't already flushed from his physical exertion that it would be a rosy red right now. Was Sam about to ask him to go? He already agreed to go with Dave, and he didn't want to hurt or embarrass Sam. How would he deal with this?

"Well, yes, I know about it," Kurt said cautiously, wondering how best to be delicate.

"Yeah, so I was wondering if, well, if you knew if anyone had asked Mercedes to go yet," Sam said, looking nervous.

Kurt looked at Sam uncomprehendingly for a moment and then smiled in relief. So, not only was Sam _not_ his kisser, he was interested in Mercedes! All of this made Kurt very happy. He liked Sam very much, but had discovered that he wasn't really interested in him in _that_ way. So knowing that Sam was instead interested in one of his friends was welcome news.

"I don't think anyone has asked her. Would you like me to find out for you?" Kurt offered, feeling generous in his delighted state.

Sam gave Kurt a big smile. "You would do that for me, Kurt? Really? I would really appreciate it. I really wanna ask her, but I don't want to make a fool of myself."

Kurt didn't think that would be the case, but he nodded. "I'll see what I can do. See you at school?"

Sam grinned and said, "You bet. See you later!" He held up a fist for Kurt to bump with his own before jogging away towards his house.

Kurt went inside with a broad smile on his face. He couldn't wait to get to school and talk with a certain sassy lady. His smile fell a bit as he thought about how excited Rachel would be at this turn of events as well. The pain had settled to a dull ache, but Kurt still hurt over her. Kurt heaved a deep sigh and gave himself a mental shake to get out of the doldrums so he could concentrate on the day ahead.

As Kurt got ready for school, he found himself yet again thinking about the kiss, a shiver running down his spine. Whoever had done it had taken him in their arms expertly and known how to kiss him so that it registered everywhere, from his brain down to his curled toes. He wanted to feel those lips again, this time with no one else around so he could take the time to appreciate them. Kurt sighed wistfully. The mystery boy was a large part of his thoughts now, often appearing throughout the day and most _definitely_ at night. Kurt wondered what he looked like. Surely he was no ordinary guy. In Kurt's imagination, he was handsome, with a killer smile and pretty eyes, but he couldn't really picture much other than that. Mystery boy was both real and not real, all at once.

Would he ever find him?

* * *

><p>Kurt sat at a table at The Lima Bean, waiting for Dave to return with their coffees. Dave had blushingly asked him to go for coffee after school and Kurt had agreed. He was sitting with his eyes closed, idly humming along with the music being piped through the speakers when a hand touched his shoulder.<p>

"Did I remember to ask for a nonfat..." Kurt's voice trailed off as he opened his eyes to see not Dave but Blaine standing there.

"Kurt, I need to talk to you," Blaine said, looking anxious.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "About what? Is Rachel here?" he asked, looking around and trying not to feel hopeful.

"No. And that's kind of what I need to talk to you about," Blaine said. He frowned as he finally noticed the masculine jacket hanging on the back of the chair across the table from Kurt. "You're here with someone? Is it that blonde guy you were running with the other morning?"

Kurt was surprised at both Blaine's question and his brusque tone. "Sam Evans? No, I'm not here with Sam. I'm here with Dave. Dave Karofsky."

Blaine frowned. "Have you been going out with him a lot?"

Kurt crossed his arms and glared at Blaine. "Not that it's any of your business, but this is my first time coming out with him. And I am going to a party with him. Why?"

Blaine glared right back at Kurt. "But you were jogging with, what was his name? Sam? Jogging with Sam the other day."

Kurt nodded. "Yes, I run with Sam every morning."

Blaine looked even more disgruntled. "_Every_ morning? You've certainly changed since you and Rachel quit being friends."

"Changed?" Kurt echoed.

"Yeah, changed. Doing things like running every day and going out with anyone and everyone," Blaine said, eyebrows still furrowed together in a frown.

Kurt scowled back at him. "Now wait _just_ a minute, I do _not_ go out with anyone and everyone-"

Blaine interrupted him. "I need to talk to you about Rachel. About her and all the weird things she is doing now."

Kurt still had his arms crossed and tapped his fingers of one hand in irritation on the other arm. "Well, seeing as she no longer speaks to me and vice versa, I fail to see how anything she does is any of my business."

Blaine made a helpless gesture. "But you were best friends for so long. And she was fine when you were friends and together all the time. But now, she's all different. She is snippy and secretive. And she is hanging out more and more with Quinn Fabray, who you know got pregnant last year. They could be out with boys or something and we wouldn't even know who with."

"Well, Rachel is a big girl and capable of choosing her own friends and which people she hangs out with. And I am no longer one of them," Kurt said.

Blaine looked at Kurt with pleading eyes. "But wouldn't you consider making up with her? She is always in a bad mood these days and making my life miserable. Everything was fine when you two were friends."

"Fine? I am pretty sure there was plenty of bickering between you two when I was around," Kurt said as Blaine shook his head.

"No, that was just normal family stuff. It's my responsibility to look out for her, even if she resents it," Blaine said with conviction.

"Well, maybe you overdo it sometimes. You need to learn to trust her. In any case, I can't help you. She is not interested in talking to me," Kurt said, leaning back in his chair.

Blaine made a noise of frustration and ran a hand haphazardly through his hair. "I don't get it. You have been friends all these years. Why did you have to get into a fight now?"

Kurt's eyes blazed as a wave of anger hit him. "You should ask!" he snapped, remembering again how it felt to find that list, that _stupid list_ in Blaine's room.

"Um, hi, is everything okay here?" Dave approached the table with two coffees, looking perturbed and glancing between Kurt and Blaine in confusion.

Blaine gave Dave a brief look of derision. "We just had something to discuss." He looked at Kurt again, hazel eyes looking a little desperate. "Please, just think about it, okay?"

Dave watched Blaine leave and then turned to Kurt. "Who was that guy?"

Kurt waved a hand, "He's Rachel's older brother."

Dave's eyes widened in surprise. "Rachel Berry? Your friend, the girl you were always around? I didn't know she had a brother. Doesn't she have two dads?"

Kurt nodded. "They are half siblings. And Blaine goes to Dalton Academy instead of McKinley so you wouldn't have seen him."

Dave took a sip of his coffee. "Huh. So, I never see you with Rachel anymore. You two were always together. I never saw you alone, that's why it took me so long to ask you out."

Kurt felt his stomach give a little lurch and took a drink of his own coffee to cover it. So Dave had been wanting to get him alone. He probably was the guy who kissed him.

They sat and made small talk for a while before deciding it was time for each of them to get home. Dave walked Kurt to his car and toed at the ground nervously. "So I was wondering if it would be okay to kiss you," he mumbled.

Kurt felt his face flush in embarrassment. Why didn't Dave just go ahead and do it, instead of asking and making _him_ the responsible one? He didn't want to seem over eager and say yes, but he didn't want to be a prude and say no. He took a deep breath and said, "I guess it would be okay."

Dave was very nervous and leaned in to give Kurt a very soft kiss, as if he was afraid he might break him or something. It was very short and rather disappointing. Kurt gave Dave a small smile and said, "So I guess I will talk to you later?"

Dave inclined his head. "Did you want to try again?" he said, acknowledging the fact that the kiss had been less than satisfactory.

"One per customer," Kurt teased lightly. "I need to be getting home."

"Me, too," Dave said. "I'll call you later."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, getting into his car. Had Dave just disqualified himself as the mystery man?

* * *

><p>Later that night, as he sat halfheartedly doing his homework, Kurt came to a realization. He wanted his mystery kisser. He was already half way in love with him. He was pretty much a phantom, but with his passionate kiss and whispered declaration of love, he had captivated Kurt in a way no one ever had before. Remembering the kiss again sent a tingle all the way down to his toes.<p>

Kurt thought of Rachel and sighed. He missed her terribly. He wished that they could just make up, as Blaine had asked. He would do anything to have her to talk to, especially now that he was dating and knew more about the guys they had listed. He had other friends, but didn't really have anyone else who could fill that void left behind by Rachel, and he felt it keenly.

"Kurt! Can you come downstairs?" Burt called.

Kurt moved his homework to the side and stood up with a stretch. He went downstairs and was surprised to see his father pacing the kitchen floor nervously. He sat at the table and leaned forward, elbows on the table.

"Dad? Is everything okay?" Kurt asked, concern lacing his voice.

Burt sighed heavily and sat down. He clasped his hands together, fidgeting nervously. "Carol and Finn are going to be here soon. Carol and I have something we need to talk to you boys about."

Kurt's eyes widened in sudden comprehension and he was just about to start asking questions when a knock at the door interrupted him. Burt looked visibly relieved as he opened the door to admit Carol and Finn. He and Carol exchanged a significant look as Finn sat down at the table next to Kurt. The two boys exchanged a look of their own and looked at their parents expectantly.

Burt and Carol sat down next to each other so that they were facing Kurt and Finn.

"Boys. We wanted to tell you together, so that you both found out at the same time," Carol began, licking her lips nervously. Burt reached down and took her hand supportively and she gave him a warm smile of gratitude.

"We wanted you to know that we have decided to get married," Burt said, raising Carol's hand to his mouth and brushing a light kiss across the knuckles. "We aren't getting any younger and neither one of us wants to waste time pussyfooting around. We want to commit to each other. We want all of us to be a family, together."

"But, it's important to us that you two be a part of this, that we have your blessing," Carol added. "We will all live together as a family and we want to make decisions as a family and do these things together. We want to be sure this is okay with both of you."

Kurt's mind raced. He and Finn had known this day was coming. In a way this was strange. It had been just him and his dad for so long. And Kurt never wanted to forget his mother. But the most important thing to him was that his dad be happy. And Carol definitely made him happy. She had been there during the dark time when Burt had been in the hospital, and Kurt gave her a lot of credit for Burt's successful recovery and consequent lifestyle changes. She and Kurt agreed about how important good eating and exercise habits were and Kurt knew that he could trust her to take good care of his father. He and Finn looked at each other. Finn was grinning hugely. Kurt grinned back and they both looked smugly at their parents.

"So what took you so long?" Finn asked.

"Seriously, it's about time," agreed Kurt, smirking slightly.

Both Burt and Carol looked relieved and visibly relaxed. They had honestly been concerned about how the boys would react. Now that it was obvious that the boys were pleased, they could openly plan.

Burt looked at Kurt with a twinkle in his eye and said, "So what about it, kid? You gonna stand up with your old man? Be my best man?"

Kurt smiled happily. "I would be hurt and offended if you asked anyone else."

Finn happily held out a fist to Kurt. "Dude! I told you it was just a matter of time. We're gonna be bros for real!"

Kurt chuckled and bumped his fist against Finn's. "Yup. Indeed we are."

When Kurt's phone suddenly rang, they all jumped. Kurt wasn't sure who it was as he didn't recognize the number, but he excused himself to answer it anyway.

"Hello?" he answered, curious to know who it was or if it was a wrong number.

"Hey, Kurt, it's Sebastian, how's it going?" answered the voice on the other end.

Kurt held the phone away from his ear and looked at it is astonishment. How had Sebastian gotten his number?

"Oh, hi there. I'm a little surprised to be hearing from you," Kurt said, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

Sebastian laughed smoothly and said, "I asked around to get your number. I was wondering if you would go to the movies with me tomorrow night."

Kurt paused for a moment. Sebastian was a real smooth talker, ready with the line. But then again, Kurt _was_ trying to find his mystery guy. And there was always the possibility Sebastian was the backstage kisser. Should he go out with him? He couldn't actually think of a good reason not to. Well, why not?

"Sure, that sounds like fun," Kurt said, hoping he sounded more enthusiastic than he felt.

"Fantastic," said Sebastian, sounding as though Kurt's acceptance had never been in question. "I'll see you then."

When Kurt hung up he turned around to find three curious gazes on him.

"What sounds like fun?" questioned Burt.

"Going to the movies," Kurt answered, hedging slightly.

"Oh, that does sound like fun!" Carol said enthusiastically, smiling at Kurt. "Are you going with the girls?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, not with the girls."

Burt sighed and gave Kurt a stern look. "Kurt Hummel. Do me the courtesy of not treating me and Carol like clueless morons. I think I deserve to know who my son will be with when he is not under my roof."

Finn grinned at Kurt and said, "I bet it's with Dave. Kurt said he would go to Azimio's party with him and they already had a coffee date after school this week."

Kurt glared at the clueless Finn and flinched as Burt raised eyebrows and said, "Oh, _really_? And when did you think you might tell me all this, kid?"

Kurt threw his hands up in a shrugging movement. "I would have told you, Dad! I was _going_ to! It just never came up. Besides, it's not Dave I am going with tomorrow, it's Sebastian."

Finn's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. "Seriously, dude?"

Carol smiled at Kurt again and said, "Well, aren't you just the social butterfly these days!"

Kurt did his best not to grimace. That wasn't his motive or goal, not at all. He really just very much wanted to find his mystery kisser. That thought was first and foremost in his mind. He just hoped it was sooner rather than later and that he didn't have to date every gay guy in school to find him.

* * *

><p>The next night Sebastian picked Kurt up for their movie date. He was charmingly polite to both Burt and Carol and made small talk with Finn before escorting Kurt to the sleek Jaguar sitting in the driveway.<p>

"I was hoping there might be something romantic playing, but it seems everything is holiday related, a cartoon, or a disaster film," Sebastian said as he drove them to the theater.

"What about the new Sherlock Holmes? I hear the sexual tension between Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. is pretty hot. You can't go wrong with those two hot guys," Kurt said.

Sebastian laughingly agreed and paid for their tickets when they got there. But once they were in their seats, it seemed Sebastian was not all that interested in the film on the screen. Kurt kept having to wiggle away from the arm creeping around his shoulder or removing a hand off his thigh. Finally, in desperation, he leaned over to Sebastian and asked, "Can you get us popcorn and drinks?" He didn't really want either, but he hoped that having them might occupy Sebastian's hands and he wouldn't have to worry as much about them.

After the movie was over, Sebastian drove them to Breadstix for dinner. Kurt cursed his bad luck when the first person he saw was Rachel. She was sitting in a booth with Quinn and two guys from the hockey team whose names Kurt wasn't sure of. The hostess started to escort them to a table near where Rachel was, but Kurt spied a booth in a different section and hastily asked her, "Is there any way we can sit back there?" The hostess looked surprised but complied with the request.

Kurt breathed a small sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to be subjected to Rachel's scrutiny, although he couldn't help but notice her scornful smirk when she saw Sebastian leading Kurt to a table with a hand at the small of his back. He sighed sadly to himself. It was strange that after being best friends all that time, all the fondness, all the good times and good memories could be tossed aside just like that and only anger and hostility be there. Yet here they were. Kurt didn't really feel that hostile towards Rachel anymore, but the hurt feelings between them seemed insurmountable at the time.

Kurt slid into the booth across from Sebastian and nearly groaned out loud. There, just a few booths down, sat Blaine with his friends Wes and David. Blaine sat where he had a view of Rachel's table, keeping an eye on her. When he saw Kurt and Sebastian sitting there, he gave Sebastian the once-over and shot a reproachful glare at Kurt. Kurt fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. Maybe he should have talked Sebastian out of dinner and just gone to The Lima Bean for coffee instead.

Sebastian was grinning cockily at him. "So, did anyone ever tell you how gorgeous your eyes are? And the whole skinny jeans and scarves thing? _Super_ hot."

Kurt just laughed at him, not knowing quite how to answer. He hoped that by laughing he was discouraging Sebastian from becoming too serious. "Just a salad for me, I think. I have indulged in more than enough holiday goodies as of late and I am sure it's all going straight to my hips." He tried not to squirm when his comment caused Sebastian's eyes to move lower.

Kurt managed to make it through dinner without too much incident, although Sebastian kept flirtatiously sliding his foot up Kurt's calf or trying to hold Kurt's hand that he wasn't using to eat until Kurt finally placed it in his lap. When they left, Kurt managed not to look at either Blaine or Rachel. All he wanted was to get home.

When Sebastian pulled up in front of Kurt's house, he wasted no time in putting the car into park and leaning across to capture Kurt in his arms, trapping Kurt's arms and planting his lips hard against Kurt's in a sloppy open mouthed kiss. Kurt stiffened and began to squirm, finally escaping the kiss.

Sebastian smiled triumphantly and said, "Finally! I've been wanting to do that since I first caught a glimpse of your ass in those tight jeans you are so fond of wearing."

Kurt grimaced and said, "Let me go. This night is over."

Sebastian tightened his grasp and said, "Oh, come on, Kurt! Just relax! Relax and let me show you how nice things can be, how good I can make you feel."

Kurt choked out a scornful laugh and said, "Relax? Are you _kidding_ me?" He pushed against Sebastian and said, "I swear to God, if you don't let me go, I am going to start yelling and get my dad and Finn out here."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and sneered, "I didn't think you would be such a goody goody, Kurt. I actually thought you would be fun to go out with, that we could have ourselves a good time."

Kurt fumbled with the car door and finally got it opened. He got out and said, "Well, thanks for a lovely evening." He slammed the door closed. Sebastian didn't answer or get out to walk him to the door. Instead he started the ignition and drove away quickly. So, _that_ was where his interest was. Kurt watched his taillights disappear down the street and mentally crossed Sebastian off his list. He went inside and called a quick greeting to his father before going upstairs and heading straight to his bathroom. He angrily stripped off his outfit and crammed it into the hamper before running a hot shower. He scrubbed his body and his face until he felt sure no traces of Sebastian remained.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	6. Together Again

**Happy Weekend, everyone! It seems I have managed to be a writing maniac this week thus far. I updated A Moment Of Serendipity a couple of days ago, now here I am updating my Anderberry. It is nearly 5AM where I am and I am fairly certain I have lost my ever lovin' mind...**

**Oh, and so, so much love for everyone alerting, reading and reviewing. And special loves for anyone contacting me on Tumblr. I absolutely love hearing from you!**

**Finally, we get to see a bit from Rachel's POV. Hope everyone enjoys! :D**

**Together Again**

Rachel tore the paper she was writing on out of the notebook and wadded it up in frustration. It seemed like as of late she couldn't write anything worthwhile. Her last attempt at writing was an ode to a headband, and even _she_ had to admit it was pathetic to the point of being sad.

She got up and paced her room. That empty and vaguely restless sensation that had plagued her since her fight with Kurt was back. Why, she couldn't really understand. After all, _Kurt_ was the one in the wrong. He had accused her so unfairly. Sighing to herself, Rachel went downstairs. Maybe a nice snack would lighten her mood.

Rachel passed by Blaine's room and glanced in the open doorway. Blaine was sitting at his desk, but he wasn't doing anything. In fact, he was staring into space at nothing in particular, looking like he was a million miles away. Rachel shook her head slightly. Blaine had been particularly moody as of late, to the point that even Daddy and Papa had both commented on it. She knew something was bothering him, but whatever it was, he wasn't talking about it.

It didn't, however, seem to keep him from constantly harping at her about one thing or another. He was not happy about her new friendship with Quinn, something he didn't hesitate to make known. Nothing she did to explain to him that she and Quinn understood each other seemed to make any difference. Blaine had made up his mind that she wasn't a good influence and that was that.

_"She's been trouble before."_  
><em>"I didn't think you even <strong>liked<strong> her?"_  
><em>"Everything was fine when you and Kurt were friends."<em>  
><em>"Why can't you make things right with Kurt and go back to how things were?"<em>

Blaine didn't understand. No one did. The only one who even came _close_ to understanding was Quinn, and even _she_ didn't really quite get it. One thing was for sure, Rachel could be extremely stubborn, and when she set her mind to something, she saw it through to the end. Kurt had hurt her feelings, _wounded_ her deeply with his accusations. And he quite obviously had moved on. It seemed that each time she saw him, he was with some different boy. And if there was a part of her that was curious and excited for him, well, she wasn't about to let that fact become common knowledge at all. And the fact that it cut her to her soul to not be a part of this with him? She would set fire to her Streisand collection before admitting that.

She had heard from the normal school gossip that Kurt was going to tonight's party with David Karofsky. Rachel wondered if Kurt was any closer to figuring out who had kissed him backstage, and if it had been Karofsky all along. She herself would not be going to the party. It would be uncomfortable, of course. Quinn had called her and asked if she wanted to go to a different party with her, but Rachel just wasn't that sure of the other people that would be there. Instead, she had agreed to babysit for one of her Papa's friends. Again, Rachel would admit to herself privately that it was rather pathetic, but at this point it just seemed to be the best option.

Later in the evening, she heard Blaine getting ready. He and his Dalton buddies were attending a party near by, not too far from Azimio's, which was practically around the corner. Rachel sighed sadly. Maybe one day she would look back on this and laugh, but right now she just wanted to curl up with her stuffed unicorn and have a good cry. Instead, though, she squared her shoulders and got things ready to go stay with little Alex. She heard Blaine calling his goodbyes to Daddy and Papa, who were getting ready to attend a function of their own, and heard them leave soon after. She made a few last minute preparations and left the house.

* * *

><p>Kurt looked at himself in the mirror, carefully styling his hair in preparation for the party. He studied his reflection, hoping his outfit was festive enough. Kurt refused to wear a holiday sweater, opting instead to wear well fitting black trousers with a red shirt. Black Gucci shoes and a thin silk tie completed the outfit.<p>

Kurt lightly sprayed his hair so that the style held but it still looked soft and touchable. Giving himself one final look and taking a deep breath, he went downstairs to wait for Dave to get there. Carol was sitting in front of the fire in the recliner with her feet up, enjoying a glass of wine while Christmas music played softly in the background. She and Finn were staying there more and more now that she and Burt were engaged, and would be moving in soon. She smiled at Kurt as he walked in and twirled for her inspection.

"You look very nice. Very nice indeed. You have become quite the young man, you know, and very much the social butterfly as of late," she said, giving him a fond look.

Kurt tried not to flinch. This was the second time Carol had referred to him as a social butterfly. He really wasn't trying to be such, he just wanted to find the boy who had rocked his world and spend lots of time recreating the electric shock that had shaken him to his core.

Kurt was nervous about this party date with Dave. The last time they had gone out, Dave had kissed him. And now, here he was going to a party likely to be rife with mistletoe at the very least. And who knew what else might happen? If Dave kissed him again, would he assume they were a "thing," a couple? Sure, he has actually rather sweet under the tough jock exterior and he did have a very nice smile. To be honest, Kurt definitely liked him best of the guys he had gone out with. But Kurt was almost completely certain he wasn't his backstage kisser. Somewhere out there was a boy who said he loved him. He was a mystery still, but to Kurt he was very real and a normal part of his dreams now. Kurt sighed to himself a little forlornly and waited for Dave to get there, trying to get himself into the holiday spirit.

A ringing of the doorbell signaled Dave's arrival. Kurt answered the door to let him in. Dave looked quite handsome in a dark green sweater and khakis. His eyes lit up a bit when he saw Kurt and he smiled.

"Wow. You look great," Dave said. "You ready to get going?"

Kurt nodded and grabbed his jacket. "Carol, we are leaving. I'll see you later, okay?"

Carol waved from her comfortable seat and called back, "Have a good time, you two. Merry Christmas, Dave."

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Mrs. Hudson. Kurt, we should get going," Dave said as he used his key to unlock the doors to his truck.

They walked to the truck together and got in. Kurt shivered slightly and said, "Brrr! It's cold!"

Dave laughed and turned the heat up a notch. He turned on the radio to a station that was playing Christmas songs and they sang along companionably during the short drive to Azimio's house.

When they got there, everyone was most definitely in the holiday spirit. This was one of the biggest parties of the year and there was plenty of food and soda to be had. Kurt was pretty sure that Puck had something planned for the punch bowl, the way he was hovering around it. Kurt himself was not very hungry so he declined Dave's offer of food but did accept a soda. He walked around and made the occasional small talk with others there. Music was playing and several couples were dancing. Kurt laughed when Dave grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to dance, too. They danced a couple of dances and then took a break to play a few party games. He noticed that Dave stayed pretty close to him, glaring at a sulking Sebastian across the room.

"So, I thought maybe when school starts back we can maybe eat lunch together," Dave said, pulling Kurt a little closer during a slower song.

"Y-you mean, like every day?" Kurt said nervously. "Because sometimes I have to catch up on homework or glee assignments and stuff. Like study hall. And I don't eat cafeteria food, I bring something from home, usually salad."

Dave grinned at him. "That's okay, I usually bring lunch, too. And I can always stand more studying. So I could go with you. I just don't get to see much of you at school otherwise since we aren't in classes together."

Kurt cleared his throat, feeling a little uncomfortable. He liked Dave well enough but this was sounding like a little more than friends, and Kurt was not sure what he thought about that. When Dave kept an arm around his shoulder even after the dance was over, Kurt really had to struggle not to panic internally. At that moment he would have sold _all_ his McQueen, shoes, clothing, accessories, all of it, just to have Rachel to help him.

Just a little after 11:00, the sound of a siren cut through the night air. It was joined by another and soon it became apparent that they were approaching somewhere close by. Several jocks went to the front door and started looking out to see if they could see what was going on. The sirens got louder and the horn was sounding like it was approaching the house. Suddenly, two fire engines roared past and turned at the end of the street.

"Holy shit, guys, it's just around the way from here! Let's go see what's happening!" Puck yelled above the crowd. People started moving out the door in a flow of humanity, looking towards the flashing lights. Kurt felt the sour sensation of fear clench in his belly when he saw that the flashing lights were so close. There was an acrid smell of smoke in the air and crackling could be heard. The crowd surged forward and finally reached the end of the street. Kurt threw his hands up to his face in horror as he realized where they were parked.

In front of Rachel's house.

Kurt started running as fast as he could towards the house. When he got to the front of the fire engines he could see the firefighters quickly unrolling their hoses. One of them spotted him and came towards him with hands up.

"You have to stay back," he instructed sternly. He started gesturing to the gathering crowd. "Everyone, back! Get back into the street! Move out of the way!"

Kurt worked his way to the edge of the crowd, trying to get a better view of the house. _Where was Rachel?_ Was she at home? When he saw a fireman kick the door in and run inside he pushed forward to try to see inside. Another fireman pushed him back behind the line with a warning to stay back.

"Rachel! _RACHEL!_" Kurt yelled, rushing forward again only to be caught around the waist by another fireman and carried back behind the line, struggling the entire way. His eyes were streaming tears from both fear and smoke and he was gagging from the smoke still pouring off the house. He turned and caught sight of Blaine running towards the house. Kurt ran towards him and threw his arms around him.

"Blaine! Oh, God, Blaine, you're okay! I didn't see you or Rachel or your dads and I was so scared! It's so awful!" Kurt cried, hugging Blaine tightly.

"Kurt! Where's Rachel? I haven't seen her! Someone told me about it at the party where I was and I got here as soon as I could," Blaine yelled, arms going around Kurt seeking comfort as they stood and looked at the burning house.

"I have to try to find my family!' Blaine said, searching the crowd frantically for sight of Rachel or his dads. He gripped Kurt's hand tightly as they pushed through the crowd. Blaine breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw some familiar faces.

"Dad! Papa!" he yelled, running towards them and pulling Kurt along behind him. Blaine was engulfed by them both as all three sobbed. Carol and Burt came pushing through the crowd to join them, their concerned faces illuminated by the dwindling fire. One of the firemen approached them.

"It looks like we have the fire contained to one section of the house now," he said reassuringly, his face covered with soot.

Kurt felt a touch on his arm and turned around to see that Dave had caught up to him.

"Kurt, are you okay? I lost you in the crowd and couldn't find you for forever. You got here in a hurry," Dave said a little breathlessly.

Kurt nodded slowly. "I had to. This house belongs to my best friend."

Dave looked uncertainly at Blaine, who was looking back at him a bit resentfully. "Okay. Did you want to go back to the party with me?"

"No. No, I don't think so. My clothes smell like smoke and I am too upset right now. I need to go home."

Carol put her hand comfortingly on Blaine's arm and spoke to his dads. "Why don't you all come to Burt's house? You can stay there."

Blaine's dad sniffled slightly and said, "We appreciate the offer. We have already made arrangements, but Blaine and Rachel have school in a few days. It would be a load off our minds if they were close and didn't have to miss any time. We would be grateful."

Burt nodded. "Absolutely. Rachel is practically my kid anyway. She can stay with Kurt just like their sleepovers. Finn's not in the spare room tonight so Blaine can stay there. It's my pleasure."

Kurt saw a familiar looking figure and nudged Blaine. "I think I see Rachel over there."

Blaine took off running and Dave watched him go. He looked at Kurt again, disappointment on his face. "So you are sure you won't come back to the party?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. Blaine and Rachel are coming to my house."

Dave nodded. "I'll call you later, then." He turned to leave, shooting Blaine a disgruntled look as he returned. Blaine blinked in surprise before pulling Rachel close and putting his arm around her. Their dads came and grabbed them both, the four of them hugging each other tightly, thankful to be together.

The fire chief came over and said, "My men are going to seal off the scene. Someone will keep an eye on it for a while to make sure that no hot spots develop or anything. It looks like some sort of decoration caused it. The lights might have gotten too hot."

Rachel started sobbing. "All my fault! It's all my fault! I left the electric menorah in the window on. I wanted people to be able to see it from the street and I didn't think anything bad would happen. I'm sorry, Daddy, I'm sorry, Papa! I didn't mean to!"

"Shhhhh, honey, it's okay. Accidents happen. Any of us could have turned it off as well," her dad said, trying to soothe her.

Kurt started to shiver as the adrenaline started to wear off and the cold started to set in. He had left his jacket at Azimio's and his thin shirt didn't offer much protection from the temperature drop. And now Carol and Burt had invited Rachel and Blaine to stay at the house. With him and Rachel not speaking, it might be more than just a little uncomfortable.

Blaine looked anxiously between Rachel and Kurt as their eyes met and quickly looked away. Burt looked at Kurt and frowned, realizing he was out without a coat. He quickly shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around Kurt. "Come on, kids, let's get you all indoors and out of the cold." He guided the group of teens towards his truck.

Carol nodded in agreement. "We will make hot chocolate when we get home and warm you all up."

Kurt glanced sideways at Rachel. This situation was so awkward. He felt like he had to say something, _anything_ to break the ice some. "It's been a while since you stayed over with me, Rachel," he said softly, the first words he had spoken to her in weeks.

Rachel looked up, startled, her eyes still glistening with tears. Blaine watched them closely, looking to see how they would react to each other. Rachel opened her mouth to speak, her lips quivering, trying once and failing, then trying again. "I don't have my things. I don't have my toothbrush or my clothes or my teddy bear and I can't go inside to get them." She burst into tears and Kurt quickly put his arms around her, making soothing noises and rocking her slightly. He pushed her into the back seat of the truck and climbed in next to her, cradling her to him. He barely noticed when Blaine got in next to him or when Burt and Carol got into the front seats. They rode the short distance home in silence, Rachel's sniffles and Kurt's low hums the only sounds.

When they got to the Hummel house, Kurt helped Rachel out and Carol put a steadying hand on her arm to guide her inside. Rachel sat on the couch with Kurt on one side holding her hand and Blaine on the other with one arm around her.

"Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart, just wait and see," Carol said as she bustled in with a tray of mugs filled with steaming hot chocolate.

Burt nodded his head. "I am sure that your dads have insurance that will take care of everything. These things happen sometimes."

"I know, but you never think it will happen to you," Blaine said, his voice cracking. He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. Kurt had the strange desire to go to him and comfort him, but stayed where he was as Burt laid a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder.

They all sat in the living room together, sipping hot chocolate and making small talk, like how cold it had gotten and whether or not Kurt's Gucci shoes could be saved after getting soaked at the fire scene. Soon they were all yawning and when the clock struck 1AM Carol jumped up and said, "My goodness! Just look at the time! We are all exhausted. Blaine, come with me, I'll show you to the guest room. I am sure Kurt has some clothes you can borrow to sleep in. I know Kurt has some of those travel toothbrushes and things so you can make yourself comfortable."

"I _am_ exhausted," Blaine admitted, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "Wes, David, Thad and I were fencing today for hours." He turned and followed Carol up the stairs.

Kurt found himself watching Blaine as he walked upstairs. He shook himself slightly and offered a hand to Rachel. "Come on, Rach, you are practically dead on your feet. Let's go upstairs, too."

Rachel took his hand and nodded. "I'm really tired. Thanks, Kurt." They walked upstairs, hand in hand. They met Carol coming out of Kurt's room with a pair of Kurt's pajama pants and a Tshirt for Blaine along with two travel packs with a toothbrush and toothpaste in them. She handed one to Rachel and the other to Blaine, along with Kurt's clothes.

"Here you go, dear. Now, all of you, go get some rest," Carol said before ducking into the master bedroom.

Blaine looked at Kurt and Rachel for a brief moment before ducking into the spare room and closing the door. He held Kurt's clothes to his face and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>As soon as Kurt closed his door, Rachel was in his arms, more tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh, Kurt, I have missed you so much, so very, very much."<p>

Kurt held her close, his own eyes stinging with the prickle of tears. "I know, honey, I know. So much has happened, and every time I wanted to talk to you _so bad,_ but then I would remember we weren't friends anymore. And I would be miserable all over again."

Rachel nodded, wiping at her eyes. "I know. It happened to me _so_ many times."

They lay down on Kurt's bed side by side and looked at each other. Kurt smiled and Rachel returned it, and then suddenly words started to flow as if they had to catch up on lost time.

"I was at that party over at Azimio's. With Dave Karofsky. He invited me to go and I was there when the sirens started," Kurt said to Rachel.

Rachel giggled. "At least you were doing _something_ fun and social. Do you know where I was? I was _babysitting_. Can you believe it? Quinn invited me to go to a party, but I just didn't know about the other people that would be there, so I told her I had other plans." she looked at Kurt with raised eyebrows and a smile. "I had heard that you had gone out with Dave a few times. So, is he the backstage phantom? I've been dying to know."

Kurt shook his head and sighed. "I haven't gone out with him a few times, just one time for coffee and then tonight. And seeing as I ran out part way through the party I don't know if it actually counts. Besides, I am pretty sure it wasn't him."

Rachel giggled. "It seems we both had to broaden our social circles when we weren't speaking. It drove Blaine crazy. I don't know how many times he complained to me that things were so much better when we were friends."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "I know. He spoke to me a couple of times about making up with you."

Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm sure he did. So, you never found out who did it." It was more statement than question.

Kurt shook his head. "I got to know guys like Rich and Sebastian, but it wasn't them."

"And you're positive it wasn't Sam or Dave?" Rachel asked.

"Well, Sam likes Mercedes, so it definitely wasn't him. And Dave kissed me already, and it was, well, it wasn't the same. I would know that kiss _anywhere_, I'm sure of it," Kurt said. "But enough about my lackluster love life. Have you managed to talk to Finn any? He and I haven't talked about you or anything so I don't have any info for you, sorry."

Rachel shook her head. "No, unfortunately not. I wondered that one day in the hall if you were coming on to him just to spite me, but now that your parents are getting married I guess that would be severely frowned upon."

"Not to mention he's oh, so straight," Kurt teased. "I tried to catch you because frankly, it pissed me off for you to even think that. But I was too late to catch you. I guess that means you still have the hots for him, huh."

"He is still the one that gets my pulse racing, I have to confess," Rachel said, yawning. "Kurt, I'm so sleepy, I don't think I can talk anymore. Would it be okay if you cuddled with me?"

"You know it's okay," Kurt said as he laid back on his pillow. Rachel snuggled up close to him and hugged him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder when he wrapped an arm around her and pulled the blanket over them.

"Missed you so much, best friend," Rachel whispered drowsily as she fell asleep. Kurt mumbled something incoherent meant to be an answer as they both fell into a deep and peaceful sleep for the first time in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	7. Something Unexpected

**Okay, so after posting the latest chapter of this yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, when I logged into my email I had 90+ notifications for alerts and reviews! You guys, seriously, I just can't even. Thank you all so very much. If you only knew how much I flailed over each email I get. Really.**

**I ended up waking with a horrible head cold that pretty much took me out and made me cancel my plans for NYE. So, I was able to spend some time working on this and get a double update for the weekend. Woot! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys where we go this chapter. Let me know what you think!**

**Something Unexpected**

Everyone slept in the next morning, so Carol made a late breakfast. It was strange to Kurt to have Blaine sitting at the table in his house. Which in itself was strange, since he had eaten plenty of times at Rachel's with Blaine there. Maybe it was that when at Rachel's, he was more of an extension of Rachel than anything, whereas this was his house. It wasn't like this wasn't the same guy he had jokingly traded barbs and insults with over the last few years, or bickered with along with Rachel. For some reason that he couldn't quite explain, it seemed Kurt was more aware of Blaine than normal.

Blaine and Burt were talking about the fire. "From what Dad says, the damage is mostly to the living room. I want to go over and get some clothes and check on my room. My fencing equipment is there and I need to get it and make sure it is okay."

Rachel rolled her eyes slightly and whispered to Kurt in an undertone, "It's all he thinks about, his épée and fencing stuff. Like there aren't other more important things to worry about."

Kurt whispered back, "Well, if it needs replacing or anything he needs to know, honey. Besides, aren't you just as worried about your things? Your Barbra and Patti and Cheno and things like that?"

Rachel sighed and nodded.

Burt was saying to Blaine, "We will ride over together after we eat. I don't want you kids poking around in there by yourself. We don't know how safe or dangerous it might be."

After they were finished eating, Kurt, Rachel, Blaine and Burt all piled into Burt's truck to go to the house. Rachel was wearing a sweatshirt of Kurt's over a pair of jeans Carol had lent her. And Blaine had simply put on the same clothes he had worn the day before. When they got there, Rachel and Blaine's dads were there already, meeting with the insurance agent and a fire inspector. Their eyes lit up at the sight of Rachel and Blaine, who ran to them to hug them tight.

Their papa spoke first. "Well, it looks worse than it actually is. It is definitely not as bad as it could have been. Looks like the main area of damage is the living room and part of the kitchen."

Kurt peered into the doorway and looked around. Inside was blackened and still wet from the fire hoses. There were charred remains of furniture he himself had spent many an hour on. There had been pictures lost that could never be replaced, a couple of antiques that had been lovingly bought and restored that were now no more. Kurt felt a sense of sadness followed by a surreal feeling at the fleeting nature of earthly possessions and how they could be gone in just a moment. He was again incredibly thankful that each member of this family was safe and sound and put his arms around Rachel and held her tight, needing to comfort them both.

The insurance agent was typing notes into a small laptop. "The fire inspector says that the bedroom portion of the house is intact and appears to be structurally sound. However, there is most likely considerable smoke damage and possibly some water damage as well."

Blaine looked at the fire inspector. "Is it possible that we could get some clothes and other things we might need?"

The inspector nodded. "You will have to be extremely careful. There is broken glass and some areas that require extra caution. Let me lead the way." He went into the burned out living room followed by Blaine and Rachel, who was holding onto Kurt's hand so tightly it almost hurt. Their feet made squishing sounds on the saturated carpet, causing Rachel to shudder and Kurt to wrinkle his nose in distaste. They picked their way gingerly to the bedrooms. There was a strong smell of smoke and the walls were covered with black soot.

Rachel and Kurt walked carefully into Rachel's room and looked around. "Well, so far it looks like everything is okay in here," Kurt said, putting his arm around Rachel and rubbing her shoulder soothingly.

They heard a whoop come from Blaine's room. "_Yes!_ My fencing stuff is fine!"

Rachel sniffed and said, "What did I tell you? All he thinks about!"

Kurt couldn't help but giggle. Despite how bad things had looked when they got there, there were things that were okay. Sure, some things had been lost or ruined, but there were things that made it, like Blaine's fencing things and Rachel's Broadway posters that she was lovingly patting. And the best part was that neither Rachel nor Blaine seemed too down now about things. They could still bicker and be annoyed by each other. Everything was going to be just fine.

Rachel opened up her dresser to take out some clothes and grimaced. "Ugh! Everything smells like smoke!"

They heard coughing coming from Blaine's room. "Holy cow! I was gonna change my clothes, but there is no way. Everything reeks of smoke. Yuck!"

Burt called up the stairs, "Blaine, Rachel, gather up whatever clothes and things you will need for several days and bring them with you. We'll take it back with us and you can wash them at our house."

Kurt helped Rachel stuff things into a duffel bag and her suitcase, being sure to grab toiletries as well. Rachel grabbed her favorite stuffed teddy bear and unicorn, causing Kurt to giggle. He tried to smother it and look serious when she shot him a look. When they came out into the hallway, Burt had come up and was assisting Blaine with his things, helping to carry everything out to his truck. The four of them carefully made their way down the stairs and out to Burt's vehicle and loaded everything into the back. Blaine and Rachel gave their dads one final hug before getting in and everyone waved at them as they left.

When they got back to Kurt's house, they quickly unloaded everything. Rachel grinned at Kurt and said, "Just what you wanted to do, right? Spend all day doing laundry?"

"I really need to wash my fencing clothes first, Rachel. Wes is coming to get me early so we have time to go back to his house to get my Jeep. I need to be ready," Blaine said, crossing his arms when Rachel glared at him defiantly.

"But Blaine, I also need clean clothes, it isn't just about you," Rachel said, tapping her foot in annoyance.

Kurt closed his eyes and gave a long suffering sigh when it looked like this was about to become another argument. Burt stepped in between them. "Now, now, you two, just relax. No need to get all worked up here. Rachel, Blaine has a point. He has a commitment to his fencing team and needs to have everything ready. I think it is fine for him to go ahead and wash what he will need in the immediate future, and you and Kurt can go from there. It won't take that much longer."

Blaine quickly tossed in his jacket, plastron and breeches in the wash along with some other clothing to get them going, thankful the fencing pieces were of the cotton kind and machine washable. He looked at Burt and asked, "Would it be okay if I took a shower? I feel all smoky and covered in soot."

Burt clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Go right ahead. There is no need to ask while you are here, Blaine."

Kurt and Rachel sorted her laundry into piles to be washed later. They went to Kurt's room, where Rachel organized her toiletries neatly next to Kurt's while he looked curiously in her bags to see what else she had.

"What's this?" Kurt asked, holding up a thin pink book.

Rachel looked to see what he had and smiled. "It's my baby book. I was so happy it didn't burn or get ruined."

Kurt opened it up and started glancing through it. There was a photo section, and he smiled when he saw pictures of Rachel and Blaine, both as babies and toddlers, Rachel with her large brown eyes and Blaine with his dark curls.

"Oh, my God, what a cute little guy Blaine was! Just look at those curls!" Kurt cooed.

Rachel started giggling. "He would probably be beyond furious that I was showing his baby pictures." She showed Kurt a few of her favorites, including one of her and Blaine sitting in a clothes basket, one of them looking guilty with a broken cookie jar and cookies on the floor between them, and one of Blaine sitting in a rocking chair holding Rachel on his lap.

"Wow. Pictorial proof that once upon a time you two actually got along just fine," teased Kurt. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him and then laughed.

Kurt got up and said, "I am going to go check and see if those clothes are ready for the dryer so we can get started on your things." He hurried out of his room at the same time Blaine came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. They narrowly missed colliding with each other.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry!" Kurt gasped, feeling drops of water from Blaine's thick and freshly shampooed curls land on his skin. He found himself staring speechlessly at Blaine, noticing how his broad shoulders shone wetly and water droplets clung to the soft covering of hair on his chest. Blaine's cheeks were a fiery red and his eyes met Kurt in an agonizing moment of embarrassment. He grasped the towel at his waist tightly and hurriedly ducked into the guest room. He quickly closed the door, then opened it a sliver.

"When my clothes are dry, can you have Rachel bring them to me? I don't have anything else to put on," he said, voice muffled slightly.

Kurt nodded dumbly, then realized that Blaine probably couldn't see him. "Sure," he said, still slightly stunned.

He hurried to the laundry room, replaying the whole interlude in his head. The image of Blaine was burned into his mind. He most definitely was _not_ a boy anymore. In fact, one might say he was almost a man. His chest and belly were sculpted from the physical demands of fencing, his arms smooth and muscular, his shoulders broad and strong.

And then there was the fact that Blaine was not only grown up, but he was fantastically good looking. His warm hazel eyes were surrounded by lush eyelashes. His cheekbones were high and defined. He had a nice nose and a strong jawline. And his lips were pink and full, he had a bright smile that could light up a room.

_His lips._

Kurt froze for a moment and then leaned back against the washing machine as a strange idea popped into his head. Blaine had been at the fundraiser that night. Was it...could it be possible that _Blaine_ was his mystery kisser? The thought had never entered his mind before, but now it suddenly seemed perfectly reasonable. In fact, it made almost perfect sense. The cheek that had pressed against his had been pretty smoothly shaven, like Blaine was. He was of a height that it made sense. And now that Kurt thought about it, the scent of his kisser had seemed vaguely familiar. Had it been Blaine's scent? And then, of course and maybe most importantly of all, Blaine was openly gay, just as Kurt was.

Kurt put Blaine's clothes in the dryer and turned it on, still feeling dazed. Blaine had been the only boy at the fundraiser that he and Rachel had not put on their list. And now he was the only boy that Kurt wished had kissed him. The idea made his heart pound.

Kurt's eyes widened in realization and he took a deep breath. He loved Blaine Anderson. There it was. And even though he had his best friend back, and best friends were for telling all your secrets to, he was not ready to share this with Rachel. No, this was something he would be keeping to himself.

In the guest room, Blaine had leaned against the door, still wrapped in his towel. Of _all_ things to happen, he nearly ran into Kurt wearing nothing but a towel around his waist! He wanted to crawl under the bed and just hide there until the embarrassment went away. Or until he died. Whichever happened first and was the least painful. Blaine closed his eyes, thinking of how Kurt managed to look and smell so good despite being in a smoky burned up house for part of the afternoon. They had been close enough that he managed to splash water on Kurt.

"_Ugh_. Smooth, Blaine, way to go. Maybe you should watch where you are going next time," he grumbled to himself. "Or at least check the hallway to make sure the coast is clear."

Still, his heart was pounding like it always did when he was around Kurt. And seeing Kurt's _eyes_, his gorgeous eyes. They had looked so blue in the hallway when they swept over him...

Blaine's eyes flew open. Wait just a minute. Had Kurt actually checked him out? Or was it all just wishful thinking on his part? Blaine resisted the urge to slam his head against the door. He was so glad he had fencing today, he needed the outlet. And maybe he needed time in the gym with the punching bag as well. Staying in the same house as Kurt might be much more difficult than he had thought.

* * *

><p>That evening, Carol and Finn joined them. Carol had cooked a delicious dinner, but to Kurt it may as well have been bread and water for all he actually managed to taste it. He sat towards the opposite end of the table from Blaine, feeling incredibly self conscious. He was afraid of how he felt, afraid that if he were close to Blaine he would manage to spill something or drop his fork or do something else that would make him look like a fool in front of him. He made a real effort not to look at Blaine. It was all so strange since before today he would have totally teased Blaine about being able to put away nearly as much food as Finn, or asked him about fencing, just their normal banter. But in light of his new feelings and the possibility of Blaine possibly having kissed him, Kurt couldn't seem to act normally around him.<p>

Carol was chatting with Rachel and Blaine, thankfully, so Kurt's unusual silence wasn't that noticeable. "I understand from Burt that the damage to your house wasn't quite as bad as everyone was afraid it might be. That's wonderful news!"

Blaine nodded his head. "Yes, we all feel a lot better about it than before. And it looks like Papa gets to repaint and remodel the kitchen and living room, which he has wanted to do for some time now. Plus, they want to recarpet and paint the rest of the house as well. Insurance will cover a lot of it, but unfortunately not all of it."

Kurt couldn't help but notice how Blaine spoke to Carol about these grown up matters in such an adult like fashion. He ducked his head and redoubled his efforts not to look directly at Blaine.

Suddenly, Kurt's cellphone started to ring from the kitchen counter behind Finn. Finn reached behind himself and grabbed it, glancing at it as he handed it to Kurt. "Here you go, Kurt. It's Dave."

Kurt wondered if Blaine had actually flinched or if it had just been his imagination. He excused himself and walked into the next room. "Hi, Dave."

"Hey, Kurt. I figured I would call and check on you, see how things were going. We didn't get to finish our party date so I thought maybe you might go to the movies with me tomorrow night?" Dave asked.

Kurt thought briefly about telling Dave he couldn't go because they had house guests, but then decided he didn't want to just sit around the house thinking about Blaine and being awkward when he was around. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Well, you see, Dave, Rachel is staying with me right now and I would feel awful leaving her here alone. Why don't I see if Finn wants to go too, and we can all go together?" This way Kurt wouldn't be alone with Dave and he could help Rachel with her crush on Finn by having them go together.

"Oh, okay. Sure, I guess," Dave said, sounding less than enthusiastic.

"Fantastic. Let me talk to Rachel and Finn and I will call you back. If they will go, then I'll go with you, okay?" Kurt said.

"Okay, guess I'll talk to you later, then," Dave answered, a little subdued.

Kurt walked back into the kitchen. He glanced at Blaine and caught the questioning look in his eyes before quickly looking away. He sat back down next to Rachel.

"That was Dave," Kurt said to Rachel. "He was wanting me to go to the movies with him tomorrow, but I didn't want to go and leave you here. So I want you to go with us." Kurt looked at Finn. "I was thinking that maybe you would want to go too, Finn, and that way we have an even number. If you don't want to go, then I will need to find another guy to go with us for Rachel."

Before Finn could say anything, Blaine cut in. "Wait a minute, so you just expect Rachel to go with whoever?" he said, giving Kurt an angry look.

Rachel sat up straighter in her chair. "Oh, my God, Blaine! Are you seriously going to insult Kurt's brother and friends here in his own house?"

"No, it's not that, but you haven't really been out with guys and Dad and Papa told me to look out for you," Blaine said, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

"I don't _believe_ you, Blaine, this is just so embarrassing," Rachel said in a shrill voice, glaring right back at Blaine.

"Now, now, you two, no need to get into an argument about it," Burt interjected. "Everything will be fine, Blaine, Kurt's a good kid and he knows some nice guys. A double date is a good way to start going out."

Carol nodded in agreement. "I think it's an excellent idea. Going out in numbers is very safe and you know Kurt will look out for Rachel."

Finn looked between them all and said, "Well, I think I'd like to go, if it's okay with everyone. I think it'll be fun. Blaine, dude, you can trust me, okay?"

Kurt felt sorry for Blaine. Everyone was looking at him and he looked like he just wanted to crawl under the table. "Okay, if you think it's okay then," Blaine said, clearly uncomfortable and cheeks reddened.

"Of course, it's okay. And maybe I know more boys than you think, did you think about that? It's not like I tell you everything," Rachel huffed, clearly still affronted by what Blaine said.

Wanting to change the subject and take the unwanted attention off of Blaine, Kurt wracked his brain for something to say. Inspiration struck and he started chattering. "So I just had this idea. The new year is coming up, and that means people are going to be cleaning out their houses and getting rid of things, right?"

"Don't remind me," Carol groaned. "Between that and getting prepared to move here, I am going to have so much to deal with."

"Well, I was thinking, you know how they have those neighborhood sales where everyone gets together stuff the want to get rid of? Why don't we organize one? Get the whole community involved, block off part of the street and make it like a market or something? Then we can donate the proceeds to Rachel and Blaine's dads to use to help cover the expenses of fixing their home that wouldn't be covered by insurance." Kurt was warming up to the idea.

Blaine squirmed in his seat, still feeling uncomfortable. "I don't know. Dad and Papa might not want to take charity."

Kurt shook his head. "But that's just it! It wouldn't be charity. We all feel terrible about what happened. It could have just as easily happened to any of us. I am sure people want to help and be supportive, but they don't know what to do. This is a way for them to be a part of things, help your family out. We are lucky because we get to have you guys stay here with us, it's a way we can help. This would be a way for others to help and feel like a part of things."

Carol was nodding her head thoughtfully. "Actually, Kurt, that's a very good idea. I can already think of several things I wouldn't mind getting rid of. I wouldn't want to have to do a garage sale by myself, but if it were a neighborhood event it wouldn't be such a hassle."

Burt agreed. "And we can advertise it so that word gets out around town. I am sure some local businesses wouldn't mind being involved as well. Let's get word out and make sure we have a good chance of involvement from the neighborhood, then we can go from there. I am sure we will need a permit or something to block off the street. The police chief is one of my customers, I will call him tomorrow and find out what we have to do."

Rachel's eyes were sparkling as she clasped her hands together to her chest. "Oh, I think Daddy and Papa will be thrilled to know people care enough to help like this."

"Yeah, I guess so, when you put it that way," Blaine conceded, allowing a small smile to appear. "I know they have to be worried about making up the difference in repair costs after insurance."

Carol had gotten a notebook and pen and was busily making notes. "I will call around to my friends and put word out at the hospital. Finn and I can get to work at our house getting things together so we can get ready faster to move before the wedding." A slightly worried look crossed her face as she got sidetracked thinking of her own upcoming event.

Kurt took the notebook away gently and held his hand out for the pen Carol held. "Let me work on this, Carol. You are busy working on your and Dad's wedding, I can handle this." He met her grateful smile with one of his own.

* * *

><p>The next morning Kurt went around to several of their immediate neighbors. Each of them seemed enthused with the idea. His next door neighbor, Mrs. Brown, said she had been planning to clean out her linen closet. Mrs. Hardwick across the street said she had several crocheted items she had made herself, and that she could make more. At the houses around Blaine and Rachel's there was even more excitement. Children were sorting through toys, movies and CDs to give and Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, the artist, agreed to contribute several pieces of their work, including paintings and smaller sculptures, for either sale or a raffle. Miss Matthews wanted to plan a bake sale and agreed to speak to the other ladies in the neighborhood to get together lots of goodies to sell.<p>

All in all, Kurt felt very satisfied when he returned to the house. He had been right, everyone seemed to want to help and he had the idea that this would be a huge success. It was decided that there should be a neighborhood meeting, so Kurt made up a flyer on his computer planning one for that weekend at Burt's shop. He went to the library and made enough copies of it to put on all the mailboxes so that everyone knew. He and Rachel went around and put them out and then hurried home to get ready for the movies.

Kurt and Rachel were nearly ready. Rachel was finally dressed after having to make up her mind between outfits and Kurt was sitting at his vanity moisturizing. Blaine passed by the open door and stopped.

"What exactly is it you are doing, Kurt?" he asked after a few moments of incredulously watching Kurt apply multiple products.

"Skin care, what's it look like?" Kurt replied, looking at Blaine in the mirror.

Blaine shook his head. "Are all those products really necessary? Really?" he asked, arching one brow with a tone of disdain lacing his voice.

Kurt felt his confidence wavering and lowered his eyes, unable to hold Blaine's gaze. How could he have _possibly_ thought Blaine was the one who kissed him? It was obvious Blaine looked at him as a stupid kid.

"Well, of course. These are all proven products and I believe in taking good care of my skin, just like my mother did. It will look smooth and young even as I age. You might want to look into it yourself, you know," he said, trying to keep his voice even.

Blaine gave a harsh laugh. "Psshhh, whatever!" he exclaimed, shaking his head slightly.

Kurt's heart and spirits sank even lower. Surely his tender backstage kisser would never have put him down like this. He finished and stood up, turning around to face Blaine and conscious of his gaze on him. He matched Blaine's superior face with one of his own. "Anyway, you are lucky to have good skin now, but if you don't take good proper care of it as you grow older, you'll be spotty and wrinkled. Think about it."

Kurt held out his arm to Rachel. "Mademoiselle, we need to go, our dates await." He tucked Rachel's hand into the crook of his arm and they swept past Blaine. Kurt didn't look back, but he was almost certain he felt Blaine's eyes on him as they walked away.

Blaine watched Kurt and Rachel descend the stairs until he couldn't see them. He closed his eyes tightly and ran both hands through his hair self reproachfully, suppressing a groan of frustration. What was _wrong_ with him? Deep down, he knew he was jealous that Kurt was going out again with _Dave_! But was it any reason to have acted the way he did? He hadn't missed the hurt look in those magnificent eyes. What if Kurt decided to seek comfort from Dave? Feeling utterly miserable, Blaine went into the room where he was staying and grabbed his gym bag, tossing his wallet and cellphone into it along with his workout clothes. He grabbed the keys to his Jeep and got ready to go to Dalton. Once again, he needed the distraction of physical activity to distract him.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	8. Tensions Rising

**Hi everyone. This isn't going to be a detailed AN since it is way past my bedtime and I have a busy day in clinic tomorrow. However, I wanted to clarify something. Someone mentioned not knowing if Blaine was older or younger than Rachel. I went back and checked to be sure, and I have always written Blaine as the older sibling. So Kurt and Rachel are Juniors at McKinley and Blaine is a Senior at Dalton. I hope that helps!**

**Thank you all so much for reading and most definitely for the reviews. The response to this has been so gratifying and overwhelming. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I seriously just love you all.**

**Now...**

**Tensions Rising**

Later that night, Blaine lay in the bed in the guest room at the Hummel's. He had showered at the Dalton gym so as not to need to do so once he get here. His body ached in the way that rigorous physical activity brings on. He had pushed himself literally to the brink of exhaustion in fervent hope that it would quiet his racing mind. He had come to the sad conclusion that his mind was just as active and busy as ever with no regards to his tired body. _Great_. Now his body ached, his heart hurt, and his hateful mind was telling him over and over how stupid he had been.

A soft knock at the door shook Blaine out of his self reproachful reverie. He started to get up to open the door, but the protest from his muscles changed his thoughts.

"Come in," he called softly, feeling both curious and cautious.

The door opened slowly and Rachel walked in. "Hi, Blaine," she said softly as she shut the door quietly behind her. She walked across the room and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed.

"Hi, Rach," Blaine said, giving her a small, tired smile. He was in equal parts relieved and disappointed that it wasn't Kurt. Although, really, it wasn't like Kurt would have come to him _before_ he lost his cool and said things in the heat of unrequited emotions, much less now that he had opened his fool mouth and been a complete asshole. "How did it go? You have a good time?"

Rachel smiled, although it wasn't her full on delighted smile. "Well, yes, I guess so. None of us could really agree on what to see so we ended up just watching Chipwrecked."

Blaine looked at her with some confusion. "Chipwrecked?"

"You know, the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie," Rachel said. Then she giggled. "Kurt says it's an hour and a half of his life he will never get back."

Blaine chuckled. "How on earth did you guys come to seeing _that_?"

Rachel smiled at him. "Well, Kurt and I didn't want to watch any of the action movies, Dave and Finn didn't want to watch any romantic movies, we were too late to be able to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo unless we waited for the late showing, which would have made us late getting home, and Kurt already saw Sherlock when he went out with Sebastian." She giggled. "He said the whole experience was so traumatic that he wasn't sure he could ever find Robert Downy, Jr. attractive ever again. Turns out Kurt spent most of the date fending Sebastian off, poor thing. We all knew Sebastian had lived abroad, so I guess it is really no surprise he turned out to have a bad case of the Russian hands and Roman fingers." Rachel chortled at her own joke.

Blaine had felt his heart drop when Rachel said Kurt had gone out with the guy named Sebastian, then give a little leap when Rachel said he didn't have a good time. He felt his jaw tighten, though, when she said the guy had his hands all over Kurt. That was bad enough, but if Kurt hadn't wanted it, it made Blaine doubly want to find the guy and smash a fist into his face. For starters.

He was brought back to the present when Rachel put a hand on his arm.

"Blaine? Blainey? Are you okay?" Rachel asked, looking concerned. Blaine realized she had been talking to him and he had been too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention.

"Yeah, sorry, Rach, I had a hard work out and I am a little tired," he said, hoping she would accept his explanation.

Rachel looked at him shrewdly. "Blaine, I really think there is something that you are not telling me. You have been down for weeks now, even before the fire." She bit her lip and rubbed his shoulder. "I know I'm just your silly little sister, Blaine, but we used to talk about things. Remember? We argue a lot, that's true, but I want you to know you can always talk to me. I love you and I am here for you, no matter what, okay? So, please, can't you tell me what's wrong?"

Blaine saw the sparkle of tears in Rachel's eyes and sighed, feeling guilty. He loved his sister, but he wasn't ready to talk about Kurt with _anyone_. Much less his darling but dramatic sister, who would either freak out and be adamantly against the idea or overzealously in favor of it and try to help in some way that would most likely be disastrous in one way or another. Still, the concern in her dark eyes got to him.

"It's okay, Rach. Let's just say it's boy troubles and leave it at that, yeah?" Blaine said, hoping that it would be enough for her to know the basis of his woes without knowing the exact cause.

"Oh, Blainey, I'm so sorry. I can definitely relate, being in the throes of unrequited love myself," Rachel said, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it. "Who is it? You haven't fallen for a straight boy, have you? Because I have seen Kurt go through that, and I just hate how much hurt that can cause."

Blaine smiled mirthlessly and said, "No, he isn't straight."

"Are you _sure_, Blaine? Because I know I was convinced that Sam was bi and that maybe he liked Kurt, but it seems that Kurt only likes him as a friend anyway," Rachel said, not noticing the flicker of relief cross Blaine's face at that little tidbit.

Wanting to change the subject, Blaine asked Rachel, "What about you? How are you unrequited?" He knew that he could distract her, at least for the time being, by getting her to talk about herself. That didn't mean she wouldn't return to the subject of him at some point and be doggedly relentless about it, of course, but it bought him some time, nonetheless.

Rachel sighed dramatically. "I really like Finn," she said, playing with the hem of her skirt.

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. "Finn? As in Finn Hudson? The one you just saw a movie about talking rodents with? Kurt's soon to be stepbrother?"

Rachel nodded her head, cheeks turning pink with a blush. "Yes. Don't worry, Kurt knows and is perfectly okay with it now."

Blaine's head was still trying to digest the fact that his little sister was crushing on the quarterback of the McKinley High football team. Then her words processed. "He's okay with it _now_? Was there a problem before?"

Rachel bit her lip, worried she may have said too much. "Well, not exactly a _problem_, per se. Kurt had a crush on Finn last year. Just a little one, and nothing ever came of it! And it was before their parents started seriously dating so nothing creepy about it, not really. And he knows I like Finn and has been trying to help me with him," she babbled.

Blaine wasn't sure what he thought about all this. In fact, he really didn't want to think at all. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I think I am gonna go to sleep early tonight. I really am beat."

Rachel nudged him gently. "Move over a little." When he complied, she lay down next to him with her head on his shoulder, playing with his curls the way she had often done when they were little. "We haven't snuggled in a really long time, Blainey. Even though I love Kurt and Burt like family, I am so glad you are here right now."

Blaine turned so he could kiss her forehead. "Me, too, Rachel." The combination of physical fatigue mixed with the comforting sensation of his hair being stroked was enough to relax him and lull him to sleep quickly. When Rachel brushed her lips against his cheek and whispered, "Love you, Blainey," before getting up, he was too far gone to do more than grunt softly in response.

* * *

><p>There had been a terrific response to the idea of a community garage sale. There had been several meetings at Burt's shop by a group designated as the organization committee and all the arrangements were in place. They had gotten the okay to block off a large section of the block. Several neighbors with grills had gathered and would be cooking and selling hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as ears of corn and kebabs of meat and vegetables for those so inclined. The local grocery had donated sodas and bottles of water, buns and chips. Even The Lima Bean was involved, setting up to sell coffee and hot chocolate. The newspaper had featured an advertisement, as well as an article about the event in its community section, and New Directions had put fliers up all over town. It was shaping up to be quite the affair.<p>

The day of the event turned out to be as ideal as one might expect of an Ohio January day. The sun was shining and the air was clear and brisk, but not uncomfortably cold. Participants had set up tables or fashioned booths and a good sized crowd was milling, looking around and best of all, buying. At the end of the block was a stage area where a group of college students in a band calling themselves Vocal Adrenaline was to perform later. One of the guys lived nearby and felt that getting themselves out at such a public event might garner them some publicity.

Kurt strolled around, idly looking at various displays. He had steered Burt away from the baked goods table earlier, looked at video games with Finn, checked out tablecloths with Carol, and talked Rachel out of a fuzzy sweater that had simply been wrong in its very existence. He had seen Blaine here and there, usually in the company of the two boys he knew to be his friends Wes and David, from Dalton. So far as he could tell, Blaine didn't pay attention to any other particular boy. Kurt wondered if he had a boyfriend. It was a rather depressing thought.

Kurt was looking at a knitted scarf and actually considering purchasing it when he became aware of someone coming to stand by him. He looked up and saw it was Blaine. His smile of greeting faded as he saw the anxious look on Blaine's face.

"Hi there," Kurt said, feeling a little tongue tied and uncertain. "Are you having a good time?" Blaine didn't exactly look very happy.

"It's pretty surreal, actually, to think all this is for my family," Blaine said, looking around at the throng of people there. He crossed his arms over his chest and rubbed his upper arms, eyes falling to the ground.

Kurt glanced around. "People seem to be enjoying themselves. And doesn't this kind of support feel good?" he said, trying to cheer him up. He placed a hand comfortingly on Blaine's arm.

Blaine reached up his hand to cover Kurt's for a moment, the warmth of his hand sending a tingle down Kurt's spine. They had been living in the same house, yet this was the first time since the night of the fire that Kurt had actually touched him. Blaine looked up at Kurt, his eyes anxious and concerned. Kurt caught his breath, feeling that glance all the way down to his very toes.

"Kurt, it's Rachel. Have you seen her, what's happening?" Blaine said, clearly unhappy.

Kurt was confused. He hadn't seen Rachel for a while, come to think of it. He looked around for her and asked Blaine, "What exactly do you mean?"

"It's that group, Vocal Adrenaline. She is making a complete fool of herself over the singer. It's so obvious, the way she is flirting with him, anyone can see it. And he is totally playing it up, too. She has perched herself right in front of him and he sings like he's singing directly to her," Blaine said, a frown coming across his face.

"Well, maybe he is. Rachel is very pretty, you know. Maybe he's into her, too. Why shouldn't she have a boyfriend if she wants? Maybe you are being overprotective here," Kurt said, trying to sound reasonable.

Blaine's frown grew darker with Kurt's gentle criticism. "No. This guy is in college, Rachel is a junior in high school that hasn't really got a lot of experience with boys. The last thing she needs to be doing is flirting with a guy who probably is interested in only one thing."

Kurt sighed, wishing he could say something to ease Blaine's mind. "Maybe you are imagining things, Blaine. You are under a lot of stress right now."

Blaine shook his head. "I don't think so. This guy is obviously singling Rachel out and she is eating it up. I am sure I am not the only one noticing it. Maybe if she was with you instead, looking around at things, you could talk some sense into her."

Kurt shot Blaine a look. As if anyone _ever_ could talk Rachel into or out of something once she had her mind made up. But he couldn't resist the pleading look Blaine gave him. "I'll try, but I make no promises. And I won't make her do anything she doesn't want to do, understand?"

Blaine looked relieved. "Thanks, Kurt, just see if you can distract her from that guy." He squeezed Kurt's hand and walked to where Wes and David were checking out DVDs. Kurt stifled a gasp as he felt a warm sensation wash over him. He shook his head to lose the dazed feeling and went towards the stage area in search of Rachel.

Kurt spotted Rachel front and center of the stage, smiling dreamily up at the brown haired guy who was singing with a cocky smirk on his face. Crap. Blaine was right, Rachel had definitely caught his eye and he was mesmerizing her with his bold, confident stare and self assured smile. Kurt disliked him pretty much on sight.

Striding to Rachel's side and pretending not to notice the guy onstage, Kurt slipped his arm into Rachel's. He leaned over and whispered, "Rachel! I just saw Finn over by the grills in the food line! Come with me, let's go get food! Aren't you hungry?"

Rachel reluctantly tore her gaze from the musicians. She looked indecisively at him, saying, "But Kurt, the music-"

Kurt pulled her slightly, urging her to come with him. "Rachel, we need to go _now_, otherwise you're gonna miss him!"

"Fine. But I want to come back as soon as we finish eating," she said, smiling at the singer and giving a flirty wave. He gave her a meaningful wink before starting another song.

Rachel clutched at Kurt's arm as they walked away. "Oh, my _God_, Kurt! Isn't he just an absolute _dream_? And his voice! Oh, he's _so_ talented. We would sing beautiful together, I just know it!"

"Hmmm, he's okay, I suppose, if you like that kind. He certainly seems to think highly of himself," Kurt said, sniffing with a touch of disdain. He gestured towards the front of the line. "Look, there's Finn!"

As they walked by, Kurt grinned at Finn while Rachel ducked her head slightly. "You are lucky to be so close to the front, Finn. The line is huge!"

Finn grinned back at him and leaned towards the two of them. "Want me to get you something? I could order for all of us."

Kurt said, "That would be awesome, Finn! Get me a chicken kebab. Rachel, you want some grilled corn?" She nodded, seemingly unable to speak. Kurt managed not to roll his eyes as he fought the urge to pinch her to make her say something. Seriously, it wasn't like she had never spoken to Finn before.

Finn snorted and said, "Corn? That's it?"

Kurt said, "Yes, Finn, Rachel is vegan. No meat, okay?"

Finn nodded. "Got it, I'll meet you over by the condiment stand, okay?"

Kurt pushed Rachel along ahead of him, ready to shake her. He practically propped her up against the table to wait for Finn. He sighed inwardly to himself. When he saw Finn heading their way, he smiled and nudged Rachel with his elbow, hissing "Here he comes!"

Finn put what appeared to be an enormous amount of food on the table, handing Kurt a grilled chicken kebab with a flourish before handing Rachel a foil wrapped ear of corn. "Careful, it's hot," he warned as he attempted to unwrap it for her.

Rachel looked flustered and shy as she watched him. Kurt was glad Finn was being attentive to her, hoping it would take her mind off the college guy onstage. Finn went to hand Rachel the corn and their hands bumped awkwardly, sending the corn flying to hit Rachel square in the chest and sliding down the front of her shirt before hitting the ground.

"Oh, man, I blew it! Sorry!"Finn exclaimed apologetically, grabbing a bunch of napkins and then standing there awkwardly when he realized that an attempt at mopping at the greasy stain on Rachel's shirt probably was not his best idea, considering where it was.

"Oh, Rachel," gasped Kurt, horrified. The man who had been grilling the corn walked over with a fresh ear in hand.

"Darlin', you want another? No charge," he said, offering it to Rachel. Rachel shook her head silently, backing away slightly. Kurt wanted to kick her. Why _now_ did Rachel suddenly lose her ability to speak? She had never been one for silence before!

Finn scratched his neck, looking uncomfortable. "I really am sorry. You wanna walk with me to see if anyone has baby wipes or a Tide pen or something?"

Kurt nodded with forced enthusiasm. "Good idea! You guys should go, I need to go back to see if that scarf I was eyeing is still there."

Rachel looked at the ground. "No, thank you. I think I will go to Kurt's and change."

Finn tried again. "Maybe no one will notice. Really, you look fine. We can go see what games they have for people to play."

"No, no. I have to go. I have to go change," Rachel said, turning and rushing away in the direction of Kurt's house. Finn watched her leave, a confused and slightly hurt expression on his face, before turning and walking slowly to a trash can to dump his uneaten food in it. He walked away without a word.

Kurt wanted to scream in frustration but managed to shake it off. After all, he was probably just as equally tongue tied and awkward around Blaine now.

Thinking of Blaine, Kurt sighed. Maybe Blaine wasn't the one who kissed him after all. How could he have been? Blaine had had plenty of chances to kiss him again, if he wanted to. It wasn't like they weren't constantly around each other at Kurt's house. Why would he go to the trouble of risking life and limb in a dark backstage littered with props to catch him in the dark? It just didn't make sense. It probably wasn't Blaine. It had been all in his head and was just wishful thinking on Kurt's part.

"Kurt!" A voice calling to him caught his attention and took him from his depressing thoughts. Kurt tried to smile as he saw Sam walking towards him.

"Sam. Hi," he said, trying to make his smile appear more genuine. "How's things?"

"Cool! I am having a lot of fun hanging out with Mercedes. Thanks again for your help, there. Hey, listen, she's away at her grandmother's this weekend, and I was thinking about going ice skating. Wanna come with?"

"Oh, Sam, I don't know. I'm not much of a skater, it makes my ankles hurt. Besides, Rachel is staying with me right now and I don't wanna leave her behind." A thought crossed his mind. "Wait, is Finn still around? I think he likes ice skating, maybe he will go with us, you think?"

Sam said, "He might be, I can always look around, see if he's still here. If not, I can always call him. And don't worry about your ankles, we can make sure you get tight enough skates to help with that, okay?"

"Okay, why not?" Kurt nodded, successfully hiding his elation at getting Rachel and Finn together again.

"See you later, how about eight, is that alright?" Sam asked.

"See you then," Kurt said, waving as Sam walked off in search of Finn. The garage sale was wrapping up and people were starting to put away tables and chairs. Kurt spotted Blaine among those helping and walked over towards him.

"So did you see I managed to distract Rachel from the frat boy?" Kurt asked, trying not to notice how the late afternoon sun made Blaine's eyes sparkle and shine.

Blaine nodded as he struggled with a folding table leg that was stuck. "Nicely done," he said after a moment, looking around for Rachel. When he didn't see her, he raised an eyebrow inquisitively at Kurt. "Where is she?"

"She had a little accident with some grilled corn and went to my house to change. I haven't seen her since. But listen, I can pretty much guarantee she won't be interested in that guy anymore. Tonight she and I are going skating with Finn and Sam!" Kurt's grin was pleased.

Blaine frowned. "It seems like these guys are just popping up from everywhere. You two used to amuse yourselves just fine without any boys. You were always a pretty good influence on her but now it seems like you are both getting boy crazy!" he complained.

Kurt stared at him. "Wait, _what_? Did you really just say _boy crazy_? Did you expect that Rachel and I would just sit in my room and chat, knit socks, maybe? I thought you might be glad she is interested in a good guy like Finn. He's in glee with us, he's the quarterback of the football team, and don't forget, about to become my stepbrother."

Blaine sighed. "Yeah, he's okay I guess."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "My dad and step mom will be thrilled by your approval, I'm sure."

"I didn't mean anything against Finn. But it's just all these guys that are always around. You are running with that Sam dude every morning, rain, shine, cold, no matter what. That guy who transferred here. That football player. Who knows who else? So if Rachel is going to be as into guys as you suddenly are, how am I supposed to keep track of her?" Blaine ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Kurt was prevented from sarcastically replying by the police chief approaching them. Several officers were removing the street barricades and the chief held the bulging cash box. "Blaine, I am taking this with me. We will count it to see how much was made, but I would venture to guess several thousand dollars. And all for things that people wanted to get rid of! If you or your dads give me a call later, I will let you know the final amount."

Blaine smiled at the chief and thanked him, promising to be in touch. He then turned to walk with Kurt towards the Hummel house, the pleasant smile giving way to a frown.

Kurt decided not to say the cutting remark he had planned on saying, instead remarking, "I am sure Rachel is more than capable of making her own decisions."

"She has no ability to judge character whatsoever," grumbled Blaine.

Kurt huffed, "Seeing as I am her best friend I kind of resent that."

"God, no, of course I didn't mean you," Blaine said, holding the door open so alert could enter the kitchen.

Kurt glanced sideways at him and felt a little pang in his heart. He wished that Blaine were the one who said he loved him. But it seemed so unlikely now, with Blaine frequently seeming so almost hostile.

Carol came around the corner and smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Kurt! Look! The wedding invitations arrived today!"

The wedding. With so much happening the last few weeks, Kurt had almost forgotten about it. He walked over to the table and picked one up, running his fingers lightly over the raised writing and reading the words printed. This made it seem more real somehow, holding this in his hand. Before long he would be standing up with his father starting a new life sharing with someone, no longer just the two of them. Wow.

"Where's Rachel?" asked Carol.

"She came home to change clothes, and I didn't see her again afterward," Kurt said, making his way towards the stairs. He walked into his room, noticing Rachel laying across the bed with her face buried in the pillow. Kurt tiptoed in quietly, trying not to make any noise as he looked for clothes to change into.

"I'm not asleep, you don't have to be quiet," Rachel said in a muffled voice.

"Where did you go? Why didn't you come back? I looked for you. I have some great news!" Kurt said, pulling off his boots before sitting on the bed next to her.

"I couldn't come back. I have never been so humiliated in my entire life. No news will make that better," Rachel said before burying her face in the pillow again.

"About what? That corn dropping on you? Who cares? It's nothing to get that upset over," Kurt said, privately thinking it probably improved the shirt somewhat.

"But right in front of Finn!" Rachel wailed. "How can I ever look him in the face again?"

Kurt tried to soothe her. "Honey, it was more his fault than yours. He was trying to do something for you! Surely he wouldn't do it if he wasn't interested in you at all."

"He probably thinks I am an idiot,"Rachel sniffed.

Kurt managed not to snort, instead saying, "Great news, though, remember? You and I are going to go ice skating tonight! With Sam and Finn!" He smiled broadly at her.

Rachel raised her head, looking at Kurt with wide eyes. "Kurt," she breathed, "do you mean it? You aren't just saying that?"

Kurt's grin was triumphant. "If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'," he said teasingly. "Mercedes is out of town and Sam wanted to go. So I got him to invite Finn to go, too!"

Rachel was sitting up now, smiling from ear to ear. "I _love_ skating, too! I used to do it all the time when I was a little girl. My dads had me in lessons and everything. And with Finn! Oh, Kurt, maybe he doesn't think I am a loser after all."

Kurt said, "Of course not. When you think about it, it was kind of funny."

Rachel giggled. "Yeah, I guess maybe it was."

* * *

><p>By eight Kurt and Rachel were dressed warmly and sitting in the den waiting. Kurt was wishing Blaine had gone out with his friends. Instead, he was sitting on the couch, reading a book. From time to time he would look up at them before quickly looking back to his book.<p>

The doorbell rang and Blaine jumped up. "I'll get it," he announced, walking briskly towards the door.

Kurt jumped up as well, surprised, saying, "No, I can get it," but was brushed to the side as Blaine swept past him. He stood there in stunned surprise both that Finn hadn't just come in and that Blaine had pushed him aside in his own house.

"Hi, Evans. Come in. Where's Finn?" Kurt heard Blaine ask.

"Yeah, Finn had already made plans with Puck. I asked him kind of late, I guess," Sam was saying as he and Blaine walked into the den.

Kurt froze at the accusatory glare Blaine was giving him. "Hey, Sam, Finn isn't with you?" he asked weakly.

Sam shook his head. "No, sorry. I was just telling Rachel's brother that he had already made plans with Puck."

Kurt was distressed. "You should have called me, Sam. I only agreed to go so long as it was a foursome." He was afraid to look at Rachel.

"It's okay, Kurt, you don't have to stay here on my account," Rachel said, her voice small.

"Sorry, Kurt, I didn't know. We can still go, I am all set for skating," Sam said, trying to keep the cheerful grin on his face. "Maybe you wanna go, too?" he said, addressing Blaine.

"_No_. No thank you," Blaine said, giving Rachel a sympathetic look before glaring angrily at Kurt.

"It's okay, Kurt, I really didn't want to go," Rachel said insistently.

"No! If that's the case then I'm not going either," Kurt said. He turned to Sam. "You really should have called me so we could make sure we had a fourth person to go."

"Geez, I'm sorry. It was too late and it didn't work out," Sam protested.

Kurt ran his hands over his face. How could this get any worse? "Listen, Sam, why don't you take off your coat, and we will just stay here and do something?"

"Sure, I guess that's cool," Sam agreed, taking his coat off and hanging it on the rack by the door.

Kurt tossed his jacket across one of the kitchen chairs as he started looking for stuff for refreshments. The door opened behind him and he turned to find himself confronted by Blaine. He turned away only to have Blaine grab his arm and turn him back.

"Don't you give any thought to Rachel? She's gone through enough lately with the house and being away from Dad and Papa. And now Finn isn't even going!" Blaine hissed.

Kurt jerked his arm away, fighting back tears. "Don't you think I feel even worse about all this? I only agreed to go to get Rachel another date with Finn. I hate ice skating!"

"Whatever, I am just _so_ sure. You and your collection of guys," Blaine sneered.

Kurt's eyes hardened and he glared at Blaine. "Fuck off, Blaine!" His cell phone rang, interrupting their argument and he answered it. He was rather surprised to hear Rich on the line.

"Hey, Kurt, guess what! I made it to All State band! Placed really high, too! If you aren't too busy, I'd love to show you the letter!"

"There are some other people here, why don't you come on over?" Kurt suggested, feeling reckless. So long as Blaine was accusing him of collecting boyfriends, he would most certainly oblige him.

Blaine was listening intently to what Kurt was saying. When Kurt hung up, Blaine glared at him, his eyes darkening. "I guess that was Karofsky," he practically spit, words laced with venom.

"You guess wrong," Kurt snarled in return, anger making his cheeks pink.

"Who was it, then?" Blaine demanded, leaning against the counter. Kurt eyed his athletic form, hating himself a bit for the jump his heart gave. Their eyes collided, stormy hazel and darkest blue. Kurt's eyes flickered briefly to Blaine's lips before turning towards the cabinet.

"I guess you will just have to wait and see, won't you?" Kurt said perversely, looking for popcorn in the cabinet and arranging a veggie tray. Finally, the agitation overtook him and he whipped around. "You have _no right_ to boss me around or criticize me or who I hang out with. It's bad enough you try to supervise your sister's social life. You aren't my brother and you aren't my dad!"

Blaine's eyes flashed as he snatched the veggie tray out of Kurt's hands and nudged the door open with his foot. In the den, Rachel had hooked Kurt's iPod up to the stereo and was looking for a particular song. Sam watched Blaine warily, jumping slightly as Blaine slammed the tray on the coffee table with far more force than necessary. Sam looked between Kurt and Blaine, making Kurt think the tension between them must be obvious.

Blaine turned and stalked out of the room. Kurt went to the kitchen and grabbed sodas, then returned to the den. The music playing was low and soothing and he tried to relax. "Rich Landry is gonna come over in a bit. Maybe we can play Scattergories or Monopoly or something."

Kurt went back into the kitchen and put microwave popcorn in to start it popping. While he was pouring it into a big bowl, the doorbell rang. Kurt opened the door to admit Rich just as Blaine burst into the kitchen with his coat on, obviously preparing to go out. Blaine gave Rich a curt nod before practically diving out the door, all but slamming it behind him.

Rich excitedly handed the letter detailing his success in trying out and his chair placement over to Kurt. He explained that the high chair number was a good thing, his obvious excitement and pleasure causing Kurt to smile and congratulate him.

Rich followed Kurt into the den, where Sam and Rachel greeted them. They decided on playing Monopoly. Before long, it had become almost cutthroat. Rachel forgot about Finn not being there, Sam forgot about not going skating, Rich forgot about honors band and Kurt forgot about Blaine as they played the classic game, rolling the dice and building up real estate. It was well past midnight when they decided to end the game, in part to Burt's thinly veiled suggestion that Rich and Sam might be due at their own homes.

After the boys left, Kurt and Rachel got ready for bed, too tired to do anything more than brush their teeth and change. Kurt promised himself he would moisturize _and_ exfoliate in the morning.

They climbed under the blankets. After a moment, Rachel said, "Kurt, I love you for trying to get me another date with Finn, but I don't think I want you to do it anymore. It's just too embarrassing. You should go out with who you want to, and I will do the same. Nothing says that because we are friends again we have to be together all the time. We should keep making other friends as well."

"I know. And you're right. The only reason I agreed to hang with Sam tonight was because I figured since he and Finn are friends that it would work out. Sam's not into me like that, nor am I him. I just wanted to help you with Finn," Kurt said.

"Yes, well, you can see how eager Finn is to get together with me," Rachel said sadly.

"Just because he already had plans doesn't mean he isn't interested," Kurt said soothingly.

"Sure. Right," Rachel said, a little bitterly. "In any case, I wanted to help _you_ find the mystery kisser. It really seems like it had to have been Dave Karofsky. Are you going to go out with him again anytime soon?"

"He hasn't asked me out again, and I really don't care if he does or doesn't," Kurt said, yawning.

Rachel yawned, too, before saying, "Oh, Kurt, you are so indifferent to guys. Will you ever let yourself fall for someone?"

Kurt didn't answer her. He was remembering his heated argument with Blaine in the kitchen and how Blaine could get to him the way he did. His heart ached and he felt tears brimming. Quietly, he turned on his side away from Rachel so she couldn't hear his sniffles. Tears slowly leaked out of the corners of his eyes as he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>


	9. Stepping Back

**Happy weekend, even though it is nearly over! **

**Here, have some Anderberry to hopefully make you smile...or flip your desk in frustration. *whoops***

**Thank you so much to every one who has reviewed this. It absolutely makes my day!**

**Stepping Back**

Blaine drove around aimlessly for almost an hour before pulling out his cell phone and calling Wes. "Do you care if I come over right now?"

Wes, hearing the abject misery in his friend's voice, didn't hesitate. "Come on. I'll let Mom and Dad know I'm expecting you."

Blaine pulled into the deserted parking lot at The Lima Bean so he could turn around and drive in the direction of Wes' house. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He replayed the argument with Kurt over and over again in his mind, feeling more miserable each time. By the time he pulled into Wes' driveway, he was about as down as he had ever been.

Putting his Jeep into Park, he sat for just a brief moment before lowering his head to the steering wheel with a low groan, closing his eyes and banging his forehead softly against it a few times.

"Stupid. _Stupid!_" Blaine muttered to himself. He felt like he was losing his mind. Being in such close proximity to Kurt was difficult enough, seeing him daily at his most genuine and unguarded moments, being able to _smell_ him everywhere in the Hummel house. Watching Kurt spend so much time with other guys, guys he suspected of being the one who kissed him, was excruciating. Everything in Blaine wanted to grab Kurt and just shake him in frustration before begging him to just please, _please_ look at him, _him_, just _once_ and see everything he felt.

He wished he had courage enough to confess to Kurt that _he_ was the one who wanted him. _He_ was the one who watched for every nuance, every expressive movement of his brows, every change in his eyes, every quirk of his lips, God, _his lips!_ And _he_ was the one who wanted to do anything to make sure Kurt never had a moment's unhappiness, ever, that no pain or misery should ever cloud his exquisite eyes. Then why, _why_ did it seem that as of late the only one causing Kurt any hurt was _him?_

Blaine had never felt more confused in his life. He wasn't used to dealing with jealousy and it was apparent he did not deal with it well. For as long as he had had feelings for Kurt, he had never thought beyond them. How to act on them, make Kurt aware of them, discover if there was even the slightest chance they could possibly one day be reciprocated. He had slipped from crush to infatuation to adoration to love almost effortlessly, but what did it get him? Blaine banged his head on the steering wheel again and cursed. At the rate he was going, Kurt was going to end up hating him and then there would never be a chance for anything.

A knock on his window startled him back to reality. Blaine realized that he had been sitting in his Jeep in the driveway for several minutes, long enough that Wes had come out to check on him. Wes was standing outside the vehicle, looking at him with concern written all over his face. Blaine rubbed a hand over his face and pulled his keys out of the ignition before opening the door to get out.

"Hey. Sorry about that," Blaine mumbled apologetically to Wes.

Wes nodded. "It's okay. Come on inside, it's too cold to stand out in the driveway chatting."

They walked inside and quickly shut the door behind them. Wes stuck his head into the living room, where his parents were sitting in front of the fire. His father was reading the newspaper and his mother was knitting something that was most likely to be donated to the battered women's shelter, one of her favorite charitable causes. "Mom, Dad, Blaine's here. We are gonna go up to my room, okay?"

"Okay, dear. Hello, Blaine, will you be staying the night tonight?" Wes' mom asked, her fingers working nimbly as she spoke.

"No, ma'am. I am just here for a little while. I didn't tell Mr. Hummel anything about not coming back so he will be expecting me. Thanks for letting me come over. I know it's a little late," Blaine answered her. He managed to return her smile before following Wes up the stairs.

When they got to Wes' bedroom, Blaine threw himself on the bed and buried his face in a pillow with a groan. Wes sat down and watched him, quietly sympathetic. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked Blaine.

"No. Yes. I don't know. I feel like such a complete mental disaster right now," Blaine mumbled into his pillow.

"This is about Rachel's friend, Kurt, isn't it?" Wes asked him, smiling slightly when Blaine's head shot up to stare at him.

"How did you know?" Blaine whispered brokenly.

Wes smiled at him. "Dude, you're one of my best friends. Of _course_ I knew. I've known for years. I have wondered why you haven't tried anything or whatever."

Blaine sighed miserably. "Well, I guess you could say I finally did." He told Wes everything, starting from the very beginning when he first laid eyes on Kurt, to making the decision to sneak a kiss from him backstage, to the absolute torture of being in the same house with him while his and Rachel's was being repaired. His hazel eyes were dull with sadness as he confessed to Wes his jealousy over Kurt and how it seemed he was constantly lashing out because of it.

"I can't do it, Wes. No more. I just can't take it. It feels like I am dying a little every time," Blaine said, feeling close to tears. He felt relieved somewhat at finally telling someone so that he was no longer struggling with his emotions alone, but the thought of standing by to watch Kurt try to find happiness with some other guy made his stomach clench.

Wes nodded in understanding. He didn't think he could do it, either, were he in a similar situation. He gave Blaine a sympathetic smile. "You could always stay here with me, you know. I know my parents won't mind. Maybe if you came here you could clear your head a bit, revisit the situation and see what you want to do."

"That's probably a good idea," Blaine said slowly, looking thoughtful. "I may take you up on it. I will let you know." He decided to change the subject to something less painful and they chatted comfortably until Blaine had to leave to get back to the Hummel house.

* * *

><p>At breakfast the next morning, Kurt made a concentrated effort to not look at Blaine. It seemed that anytime he tried to steal a look it was at the same time that Blaine looked at him and both of them ended up quickly looking away with flushed cheeks. They managed to avoid each other for most of the morning until they met on the stairs when Kurt was heading up for his room to grab his wedding planner notebook to show to Carol while Blaine was going down.<p>

They both paused for an awkward moment. Blaine spoke first, running his hand through his hair before resting it on his neck awkwardly. "Kurt, listen, I am really sorry about that argument we had in the kitchen last night. I don't mean to butt in on what you do, you or Rachel."

Kurt found himself caught by Blaine's gaze. "Actually, even though it looked like it was going to be a disaster, we had a really good time last night. We played this bushwhack game of Monopoly that would probably still be going on had my Dad not kicked Sam and Rich out after midnight. Rachel and I were seriously exhausted!"

Blaine looked away from Kurt's impossibly blue eyes, hunching his shoulders slightly, his face taking on a neutral look. "Okay. Yeah, I'm glad things worked out," he said in an impersonal tone. "See you later, I'm going to a friend's house."

Kurt stood still on the stairs, watching Blaine walk away from him. Would he _ever_ figure out the mystery that was Blaine Anderson? And how could he have _possibly_ thought Blaine was the one who kissed him? If he had wanted to, Blaine could have easily kissed him right there on the stairs. No one was around, and he would have eagerly gone into Blaine's arms and been a more than enthusiastic participant. Kurt felt a pleasant warmth rush over him at the thought, followed by a desolate coldness as he remembered how hostile and indifferent Blaine had been to him as of late. Sighing to himself and feeling a more than a little depressed, he continued on to his room to get the notebook he had originally been after in the first place.

When he got downstairs, Carol was setting up at the table to address invitations. Kurt looked around and saw Rachel sitting in the den, absently leafing through a copy of Vogue and looking a little lonely.

"Come on, Rachel, come in here and help. You have amazing penmanship, would you be willing to help address the invitations?" Kurt asked her, wanting to make her feel included.

Carol smiled at them both when Rachel joined them. "We are going to put the invitations together and get them ready to send out. We need to get them out soon so we can plan for how many guests and let the caterer know." She sighed tiredly. "So much to do. I don't think I did this much for my first wedding to Finn's dad. If I didn't know for a fact you would never speak to us again, Kurt, I would persuade Burt to elope and just have the Justice of the Peace marry us."

Kurt gave her a serious look. "Carol! Don't you _dare_ say that. You are just stressing right now. Just you wait, you are going to be beautiful and everything is going to be perfect and special and wonderful and you are going to love it. I just know it."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "It's true. You will be so glad you went through with it. I just know it." She looked at Carol shyly. "If you would like, I would be happy to help at the reception in some way, like serving or something. I would like to do something to show my appreciation for all you and Mr. Hummel have done for me and Blaine."

Later that afternoon, Blaine, Rachel, Kurt and Burt went down to check the progress on the house. The burnt out portion was gone and in its place was a new framework. The roof was newly done. Inside smelled like new wood and fresh paint, and modifications had been made to the floor plan.

"It's like a brand new house!" Rachel said, her eyes sparkling with happiness and excitement.

Blaine had a broad smile on his face. "Everything will be updated and new. Papa is going to flip his lid completely with the kitchen. Plus new carpet and new furniture, it's gonna be awesome!"

Kurt watched them both, happy that everything was working out so well for them. As they crossed the yard, Kurt remembered the night of the fire when he had hugged Blaine. Did Blaine remember, too? Kurt glanced at Blaine, but his face was impassive. Kurt sighed to himself and wondered for the hundredth time why he couldn't stop thinking of Blaine. Being thrown together for so long, Kurt felt increasingly pervaded with awareness of him, yet they said less and less to each other. And what was worse, it now seemed like Blaine was avoiding him. What had happened to the easy banter that had existed between them before the fire happened?

When they got back to the Hummel house, Blaine asked Burt if he could speak to him and Carol for a moment. "I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you have done for us. But I really feel like I have imposed on you long enough. Wes has offered to let me stay with him, and I know it would be a load off your minds, what with the wedding coming up and all that. I want to take him up on his offer."

Burt looked at him seriously. "Blaine, you are more than welcome here and I assure you, there has never been any trouble with having you here. But I can understand if you would be more comfortable with one of your school friends. Just know, you are always welcome here."

Blaine nodded. "And I thank you for that. I also wanted to offer to help you in any way I can for your wedding. I'm pretty good at yard work, I would be glad to work on your yard so it's ready for your reception. And if you would like, I bet the Warblers would be honored to perform for your guests."

Carol beamed at him. "Blaine! That would be wonderful! I know New Directions want to be a part also, but it would be so nice to have your group, too. And we appreciate the offer for the yard work as well. There is some cleanup to be done as well as mowing and trimming the hedges. We had just thought we would hire someone."

Blaine smiled at her. "Consider it done. My gift to you both." He accepted Carol's hug and Burt's handshake before going upstairs to the guest room to pack.

Kurt watched with a pang as Blaine carried his things out to his Jeep in preparation to leave. He was sure it was his fault Blaine was leaving. He had gotten so awkward and tongue tied around Blaine that he probably no longer felt comfortable being anywhere around him. He watched Blaine drive away from the kitchen window before walking slowly upstairs. He peered into the spare bedroom. Had he not known Blaine had been there only recently, he would have never known. There was no sign that anyone had been there.

Kurt walked downstairs, feeling more down than ever. The kitchen door opened and Rachel breezed in with a wide smile on her face.

"Hello there, Kurt!" she chirped.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at her. "Hi yourself. So, Miss Berry, what exactly have you been up to? You look like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth! I know you, you've been up to something!"

Rachel blushed prettily. "Oh, Kurt, the most _fantastic_ thing happened! Quinn and I were out shopping and we went to The Lima Bean for coffee afterwards. And you won't believe who I ran into there!"

Kurt smiled at her. "Finn, right?"

"Even better! It was that super good looking singer from the band at the community sale! And can you believe he actually remembered me? He says to me, 'I could never forget a face so beautiful. I know I've seen you somewhere recently.' Oh, Kurt, I could have just _died!_ And of course The Lima Bean is just full of people watching. But then, Kurt, _then_ he leaves his friends and buys my coffee and sits with me at a table. Quinn totally saw what was happening and made an excuse to leave us alone. His name is Jesse St. James, isn't that just a perfectly elegant and professional sounding name?" Rachel practically squealed in her elation.

Kurt couldn't feel the same excitement for Rachel. All he could see in his mind was Blaine's worried face as he talked about his sister and this arrogant looking singer.

"I just don't know, Rachel. Isn't he a little old for you? I mean, he is in college," Kurt said cautiously.

Rachel whipped around to look at him sharply. "Don't tell me you are going to be my honorary watchdog now that Blaine's not here, Kurt!"

Kurt bit his lip. "No, Rachel, I don't mean it like that. I just mean this Jesse guy is older and more experienced. He's in college! Aren't you worried about what that might lead to or _anything?_"

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "Well, you can stop your worrying. There aren't any hot college boys trying to get to know you, are there? Just let me handle my own friends and you keep hanging out with the jocks and band geeks. I swear, sometimes I feel like I just can't talk to you anymore!"

Kurt held up his hands in a peacemaking gesture. "Come on, now, Rachel, don't be like this! I promise I wasn't trying to tell you what to do or who to hang out with and I am sorry I said anything. Please. Let's not get into another fight. Don't you remember how it was?"

Rachel uncrossed her arms slowly and looked at the floor. "Okay. I'm sorry, too, Kurt. I didn't mean what I said."

Kurt watched Rachel as she walked into the den, an obvious tension surrounding her. Poor Rachel. She had been separated from her dads for a long time, and now she was separated from her brother. The Hudson-Hummel wedding was becoming the foremost thing here, and Kurt knew that Rachel still had feelings for Finn, who was around enough to keep the spark going. No wonder she was so excited over a casual flirtation coming from a good looking guy, no matter how ill advised it might be.

A few days later Kurt and Rachel walked down to Rachel's house to check the latest progression. Kurt smiled at Rachel and said, "Just think! Soon you will be moving back into your own house." He thought rather guiltily that he would be glad to have his room back to himself. Plus, it would be nice to not worry so much about Rachel and feel responsible for her. They considered themselves best friends again, without a doubt, but things were not quite the same as they had been before their fight. They were in different classes in school. They had different and exclusive friends. They had Glee together, but they no longer spent each and every moment together. Kurt was pretty sure Rachel had a few secrets that she wasn't sharing with him. And he had his own secrets that he hadn't shared with Rachel either, especially the biggest one, that he was completely in love with Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>


	10. Now What?

**Happy Humpday everyone! Hope everyone is well. Once again I want to thank each person who has alerted this story, and send virtual loves and kisses to each of you that has taken the time to write me a review!**

**Okay, my loves, here is an update for you. I hope you enjoy!**

**Oh yeah...and *SOON***

**Now What?**

The Hudson-Hummel wedding was only days away. Final preparations were being made in regards to all the arrangements. The church was booked and one of Carol's friends was going to be in charge of the flowers, candles and ribbons that would adorn the interior. Another friend would be picking up the bouquets and boutonnières the morning of so that the flowers were fresh and vivid. Carol's attendants all had their dresses altered as needed, and Burt, Finn and Kurt had all been for their tux fittings weeks in advance. Kurt was going to get them the evening prior and make sure everything got to the church. Burt already had the wedding bands and those would go to Kurt as well.

Even though Carol was showing signs of pre-wedding jitters and nerves, it seemed like everything was going to go smoothly as planned. That is, until Carol got a phone call from the caterer mere days before the wedding, asking her to come into their studio. She went as requested, asking Finn and Kurt to go with her. Her worst fears were realized when the caterer broke the disastrous news.

The director was very apologetic. "Mrs. Hudson, I honestly have no idea how this happened. It seems that our booking department overbooked us for the day of your event. Unfortunately, we don't have the staff to be able to work the multiple events."

Carol protested, her face pale. "But how is it that you didn't catch this until _now?_ You don't tell me until just a few days until my wedding, _my wedding?_ There is _no possible way_ for me to book someone else at this late date this close to the wedding! Everything is arranged, deposits put down, travel itineraries set, and you tell me that you _can't do the job I have paid for?_" Panic was clear in her voice.

"I sincerely apologize, Mrs. Hudson. I assure you, the mistake was ours and this is not what we consider an acceptable way to do business. I don't know if you have any one who can help serve at your reception? We would be able to provide your food as agreed, possibly two staff members, as well as Julie, one of our best event coordinators, to oversee if you could have friends or family step in to assist?"

Finn and Kurt had been watching the entire exchange, Finn angry and Kurt horrified. Finn could see his mother was near tears and close to the edge of a breakdown. Rubbing her shoulders soothingly, Finn spoke to her. "Mom, don't worry about it. I'll help with serving food. We can recruit some people to help, no problem."

Kurt had a flash of remembrance. "That's true, Carol! Remember Rachel said she would be willing to help at the reception? We can get her to help with this!"

"But Kurt, who else can you get this late?" sniffled Carol, fumbling around in her purse for a tissue.

Kurt smiled reassuringly at her. "Leave it all to me."

The catering director broke in. "In fact, if they can come here today, some of the hor doeveres can be made in advance and frozen until the day of the event. Anyone who assists with this and with the reception will be compensated monetarily for their time and efforts."

Kurt turned to her with icy eyes. "_Yes_, they most certainly will be. In addition, I do believe a recalculation of your fees is in order and you owe my stepmother a refund, seeing as she is not getting the service she paid for and is having to supply her own staff."

The director quickly and nervously replied to the affirmative. Kurt turned to Finn and said, "Go with your mom and get this worked out money wise. I will go and find Rachel and see who else I can recruit."

Finn, who had perked up considerably at the mention of Rachel, nodded. Kurt turned and quickly went out to his vehicle. He got behind the wheel and thought. _What to do, what to do._ Where might he be able to find someone who might be willing to chip in? Making a decision, he turned the ignition and drove to The Lima Bean. Chances were always good that he would run into someone there. As he drove in that direction, he suddenly realized that Rachel had been making herself rather scarce as of late, especially since their near argument the day Blaine left. Kurt had been so busy the last few days that it had almost escaped his notice completely. He pulled out his cell phone to call her, frowning when it went to voice mail.

He sighed to himself as he walked into The Lima Bean. There were a few familiar faces inside, but Rachel's wasn't one of them. Kurt shook his head in disappointment. He decided to grab a coffee to go before he left to look for her. As he approached the counter, he smiled in recognition as he recognized Rich standing there, paying for his own coffee.

Rich got his change from the cashier and turned around. When he saw Kurt, he grinned. "Hey, there, Kurt. Long time, no see! What's been going on?"

Kurt placed his coffee order and turned back to Rich. "We have been busy getting ready for the wedding. It's been kind of crazy, to say the least. And now there's an issue with the caterer." Inspiration struck him, and he smiled at Rich again. "Hey, I don't suppose you'd like to get paid for helping with food at the wedding?"

Rich looked interested. "Really? How much?"

Kurt said, "Not sure, exactly. Minimum wage, at least, I am sure."

"What exactly would this entail?" questioned Rich.

"Well, helping make finger foods, for starters. Then serving at the reception. The caterer screwed up their scheduling and our event was the last one in. They are going to try to make it work out, but I told Carol I would try to find some people to help out," Kurt explained as he paid for his coffee.

"Would we have to go to the wedding?" Rich was reaching in his pocket for his cell phone.

"No. Just the reception. You'd help set up, serve, then clean up afterwards. Interested still?" Kurt asked.

"I don't suppose we can sample the food?" Rich joked, texting busily as he spoke.

"As long as there is enough for the guests," laughed Kurt. "So? Are you in?"

Rich was reading incoming texts. "You bet. Listen, I have texted my buddies Alex and Calvin. We could all use the extra income for honors band. Is there room enough for all of us?"

Kurt was elated. This solved his problem and he could concentrate on finding Rachel rather than looking for other people. "Absolutely! Do you know where Gourmet Events is, downtown? Finn is there already, you guys can meet him there and the coordinator will get you started." He waved a cheery goodbye to Rich and headed back to his car. He called Finn to let him know to expect help before trying to call Rachel again, once more getting her voicemail.

* * *

><p>Kurt drove towards home, hoping maybe Rachel would be there. He frowned when he didn't see her car as he turned onto the street. But his heart gave a leap when he pulled into the driveway. Blaine's Jeep was parked there. Okay, so maybe for some reason Rachel was with Blaine in his Jeep and not in her car. Kurt ran inside and up the stairs, calling for Rachel. But his room was empty with no sign of her. He looked out the window and felt his heart lurch when he saw Blaine hard at work in the yard, as he had told Burt and Carol he would. Kurt stood entranced for several moments, keenly aware of how he had missed Blaine. He couldn't help but notice Blaine's tight grey Tshirt, which hugged his shoulders and was darkened in areas where his sweat had soaked through, or the snug fit of the track pants he wore, which accentuated his lean hips and-<p>

Kurt shook his head, blushing hotly at his line of thinking, his skin tingling with awareness. _Rachel_. He had to find Rachel. Shaking his head again, Kurt scrolled through his list of contacts until he found Quinn's number. Hopefully Rachel was out with her.

Quinn answered her phone, sounding a bit surprised that Kurt was calling. "Kurt. To what do I owe this surprise phone call?"

"I'm looking for Rachel, Quinn. I've tried calling her, but she isn't answering her phone. Is she with you? Can I talk to her?" Kurt asked her.

"Sorry, Kurt, she's not with me. She's probably with Jesse at his house," Quinn answered, sounding bored.

"Jesse?" Kurt questioned, sure he had heard Quinn wrong.

"Jesse? Jesse St. James? That singer guy that likes her? She has been hanging out with him a lot. She's probably over at his house," Quinn said.

"Oh, my God, at his _house_?" gasped Kurt in shock. Since when did _this_ happen, Rachel getting close enough to this Jesse character to go to his house? Oh, God, this was all his fault, he had been so busy and not paying much attention to Rachel or being there for her. What was he supposed to do? Carol had enough on her. _Blaine_. Blaine was the one who needed to know.

Kurt rushed out into the back yard, feet barely skimming the deck steps in his haste. He stopped under the tree that Blaine was pruning back and called his name to get his attention.

"Blaine! I need to talk to you," Kurt called, waving one hand.

Gracefully, Blaine dropped down from the tree branches so that he was directly in front of Kurt. Kurt smothered a gasp of surprise, then found himself getting goosebumps from Blaine's nearness. Warm hazel eyes captured his for a brief moment before turning questioning.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" asked Blaine, wiping his sweaty forehead with a forearm.

Kurt reminded himself what his whole reason was in being here, scolding himself mentally. "I wanted to talk to you about Rachel. I've been looking for her and trying to call her. I'm not sure where she is, but I'm worried there's a possibility-"

"What's she done now?" asked Blaine, looking a little annoyed. "What is she up to?"

Kurt bit his lip nervously. "Blaine, please try not to get mad. But we've been so busy with the wedding and all, and then there's Finn, and I'm sure she's lonesome for family, but do you remember the singer from that group Vocal Adrenaline?"

Blaine's eyes grew wide. "Oh, _no_! You mean, she's taken up with _him_? Damn it! I knew I should never have moved out of here, but I-" His voice broke off as his agonized gaze plunged into Kurt's for a heartbeat before quickly breaking away.

Blaine cleared his throat. "If I had stayed here in your house, she would never have done this. She wouldn't have been able to get away with it, wouldn't have tried. Who is this guy, Kurt? Do you know anything about him?"

Kurt nodded. "His name is Jesse St. James. I know he lives somewhere around here, just not where." Opening his cell phone, he started doing a search to try to find a listing. "Here! It looks like he lives in a neighborhood not too far from here."

"Let's go, then!" Blaine quickly cleaned the tools he was using and put them back in the shed. He ran to his Jeep, reaching in back for a duffel bag. Blaine pulled off his sweaty shirt and wiped himself down with it before tossing it into the bag and trading it out for another. Kurt tried not to stare and found himself once again mentally chiding himself for both being so easily distracted and not being able to let go of Blaine.

Blaine fumed all the way over to Jesse's house. "Dad and Papa are going to kill me. They _told_ me to keep an eye on Rachel and what happens? She runs off with a wannabe rock star. I'm so dead."

"Now, now," Kurt said, trying to soothe him. "Let's think on the bright side and hope for the best. Just try not to jump her case too hard when we find her, okay?"

Blaine looked so unhappy that Kurt, without even thinking, reached out to touch his arm. The normal jolt of electricity was magnified when Blaine let go of the steering wheel with the one hand to capture Kurt's hand in his own and squeeze it tightly, just as he had the night of the fire.

Kurt closed his eyes and caught his breath. He wanted so badly to tell Blaine how much he had missed him. He wanted to know if the emotional flow between them was real. He wanted to know if he had made it all up inside his head. Instead, he looked out the front windshield and said softly, "I need to find Rachel because she said she would help with the wedding reception. The caterer screwed up and it turns out we really do need her."

Blaine shook his head. "She really can be self centered and irresponsible. It's all about Rachel."

Kurt tried to ignore the fact that Blaine was still holding his hand. "Finn is going to be there helping out. I was hoping throwing the two of them together might take her mind off of Jesse."

Blaine grimaced. "This Jesse guy is way too old for her. What was she _thinking_? I hope to God she isn't into something over her head."

When Blaine pulled his Jeep in front of the St. James house, they could hear the sound of musical instruments playing and tuning up. Blaine parked the Jeep, letting go of Kurt's hand. He cautiously got out, a mixed look of concern and dread on his face. He and Kurt walked up the driveway to peek inside through the garage window. They could see the members of Vocal Adrenaline were there, obviously practicing.

"Do you see her?" whispered Kurt, his overactive mind conjuring up a horrifying image of Rachel tied up and gagged somewhere in the back awaiting some horrible fate.

"There she is!" Blaine exclaimed in a loud whisper as he rubbed a clear place on the dusty pane to get a better view. He looked closely and said almost to himself, "What is she _doing_?" followed by, "You've got to be _kidding_ me."

"What? What is it?" Kurt asked, nudging Blaine to the side to be able to look in himself. He looked carefully, finding Rachel near what looked like a stack of storage bins. He was relieved to see she was in no way restrained, nor did she seem to be in distress. And in her hands...

"Are those _cookies_?" was Kurt's surprised whisper.

"We're about to find out," said Blaine, striding purposefully to the door and knocking on it loudly. A tall guy with dark hair came to the door to open it. The sound of instruments playing got louder and there was a smell of fresh baked cookies wafting out from the open kitchen door.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at them in confusion.

Blaine lifted his chin slightly. "We're looking for Rachel Berry and were told she was here. Can I speak to her, please?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure! Hey, Rachel! Someone here for you," the guy called over his shoulder. He stepped back as Rachel hesitantly came towards the door, Jesse right behind her. When she saw Blaine and Kurt standing there, she flushed nervously.

"_Blaine_? What are you doing here? And how did you know I was here?" Rachel questioned, sounding nervous.

"Quinn said you would be here," Kurt answered her. "I needed to find you, because you know how you told Carol you would help at the reception? Well, it turns out we need you. There was a scheduling snafu with the caterer and we need help getting the food prepared and ready."

Jesse put a hand on Rachel's shoulder, earning a low growl from Blaine and an icy glare from Kurt. "She's busy here. She's baked cookies and she said she would help us with stage costumes."

It was on the tip of Kurt's tongue to tell him that Rachel's fashion sense was questionable at best, and that was being nice. But he bit the words back when Rachel visibly swallowed and stepped forward, out of his grasp. She turned to look at him unhappily. "No, Jesse. It's true, I really did promise Mrs. Hudson first that I would help out. I've been staying with Kurt, and his dad is getting married to Carol in just a couple of days. And that's Blaine, my brother. I need to go."

Jesse looked disgruntled. "Okay, fine. Just come back next week to get it done." He avoided Blaine's steely gaze.

"We'll see," Rachel said, looking unsure.

"Probably not," Blaine answered, grabbing Rachel's hand to pull her to him. He turned her and propelled her out the door, ignoring her undignified squawking protest.

Kurt levelly met the shocked looks from Jesse and the rest of his group. "Well, bye!" he said brightly before turning to follow Blaine and Rachel out to the Jeep. As he neared the Jeep, he could hear the sounds of the instruments being taken up and played again.

* * *

><p>Rachel was sitting stiffly in the back seat, the very picture of outrage. Her arms were crossed and her lips were so tight they were nearly white at the edges. Blaine cranked up the Jeep and pulled away, heading towards downtown and the catering office. Finally, after a few short moments, Rachel exploded.<p>

"You certainly know how to humiliate a person, Blaine!" she screeched, dark eyes snapping.

Blaine glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "No less than you deserve for that little stunt, Rachel! Seriously, what do you think Dad and Papa would say if they knew you were hanging out with those older guys? And by yourself? I tell you what they'd say, they would say they were going to kill Blaine, for starters! And then they would kill you, too! What were you thinking?"

"Oh, please, they aren't that much older. They are still in college. And they happen to _appreciate_ me, which is more than I can say for anyone else," Rachel scoffed.

Kurt turned around in the passenger seat and grabbed Rachel's hand. "Oh, Rachel, that's not true. You know that's not true. We came looking for you because we really need you! There are people waiting for you to come and give your invaluable assistance and insights." He ignored the smirk Blaine sent his way.

"You mean I'm supposed to go right now?" asked Rachel, surprised but somewhat mollified by Kurt's words.

Kurt nodded. "Yes, they are already there working." He wasn't going to tell her Finn was one of those people. Let her be surprised.

Blaine pulled up in front of the Gourmet Events office and Rachel quickly scrambled out of the back. She gave a very brief parting wave before ducking inside, looking relieved to be away from them.

Blaine sighed in aggravation. "I didn't get nearly as much done to the yard as I had thought I would today. Leave it to Rachel to derail even the finest laid plans. Well, at least our house is supposed to be ready next week. Dad and Papa will be home again and they will put an end to all this college guy bullshit."

"Maybe you won't have to worry about him at all. Remember, Finn is one of the guys she's going to be working with. I know she really likes him, and I think he's interested. I was thinking that maybe by getting them together working on something outside of school and Glee club, maybe they will make the connection and she won't even think twice about Jesse," Kurt said, trying to ease Blaine's mind some.

"Finn seems like a pretty decent guy, I guess," Blaine said, a little grudgingly. "He may not want to get involved with Rachel and all her insanity and general nonsense."

"Easy there, Blaine. You are being too severe on her. She is my best friend. And she likes Finn. That shows she has good enough instincts. I bet they finally get it together and click. Between the fire and the wedding, she has been feeling lonely. Left out. But now she will start dating Finn. And your dads will come home and your family will finally be together again. Everything is going to be just fine, wait and see," Kurt said optimistically, with a small smile.

"God, I hope so," Blaine said with a groan.

"You'll see," Kurt said again as Blaine pulled his Jeep into the Hummel driveway. Kurt wished they could talk about themselves rather than Rachel and Finn. He remembered how warm Blaine's hand had been earlier when he had held his own. He wished he had the courage to tell Blaine how he felt about him and find out if it was possible Blaine maybe loved him back.

"I think I'm going to see if I can get a little more work done before it gets dark," Blaine said, not looking at Kurt. "I better get to it." He went to the fence to let himself back into the back yard, not looking back.

Kurt went quietly inside and up to his room. Leaning against the wall where the curtains shielded him, he watched Blaine while he carefully weeded, trimmed and edged the flower beds and yard, sighing softly to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	11. It's About Time

**Sometimes the muse hits and won't be denied. **

**Here we go, folks...**

**It's About Time**

Rachel burst into Kurt's room later that evening, smiling ear to ear. "Kurt! I'm so sorry I'm late. We've been having the _best_ time at the catering place! Oh, just wait, everything is going to be _so_ yummy! And why didn't you tell me Finn was going to be there? He's _so_ masterful at how he is, being in charge of all of this, taking such care of his mother. The sandwiches and other hor doeveres are going to be fantastic! Did you know Rich is there helping, and two of his band friends? It's just so nice of them to help out! We are all going to help at the wedding reception, serving and carrying around trays of goodies. Just wait until you see everything we've made! Finn and I are going to go back after dinner to finish up."

Kurt looked at her in amazement once she stopped to catch her breath. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes sparkled. It was the happiest he had seen her in ages. He was happy for her. Finn was a good guy and he hoped they would make each other happy. They both deserved it. He couldn't help but sigh a little sadly to himself, though. Maybe one day he would be the one running to Rachel with boy news. But would he ever get over Blaine?

A few days later at the wedding rehearsal, Kurt smiled as he watched his dad kissing Carol. He couldn't help but think about the still mysterious kiss backstage after the fundraiser. Dave had pretty much stopped calling him since the fire, which was okay because Kurt didn't want him to be the one anyway. Blaine had been over everyday to work on the yard but still maintained a neutral persona, giving no clue that he might have been the one to take Kurt's breath away with a secret kiss. He glanced over at Rachel and Finn, sitting in a church pew chatting with their heads close together, smiling into each other's eyes. Well, in that, at least, it looked like he had been successful.

That night as he tried to sleep, Kurt wondered about his own wedding one day in the far off future. Maybe by then gay marriage would be more widely recognized as legal. He pondered on that idea, spending one final night in his childhood room before leaving for good to create a home with someone else. He couldn't stop his mind from picturing Blaine, even though he tried to push the idea away. Blaine hadn't given him any encouragement to love him, but yet he did.

* * *

><p>The day of the wedding was picture book perfect. It felt like early spring and the clear air had the soft scent of flowers starting to bloom. The back yard looked perfect, the grass lush and neatly trimmed, the flower beds carefully tended. Blaine had done a wonderful job and his efforts were on magnificent display.<p>

Kurt and Burt were both too nervous to eat breakfast that morning, even though Kurt tried really hard to get his dad to eat something. Kurt triple checked his list of things he needed to take with him. Then he double checked Burt's suitcase for the honeymoon. He had made sure Burt had more than just jeans and flannel shirts to take on their trip, knowing Carol would want to go out some. He glanced out into the backyard where Rachel was in her element, busily overseeing the set up for the reception, and smiled to himself. Once he was sure they had everything they would need, Kurt drove his dad to the church so they could start getting ready. He cheekily sang Get Me To The Church On Time from My Fair Lady, causing Burt to relax enough to laugh.

At the church, Kurt helped Burt button his tux jacket, adjusting the collar and smoothing it. "You look so handsome, Dad. So elegant. I think Mom must be really happy, seeing this. Are you nervous?"

Burt gulped audibly and said, "Why, do I look nervous?"

Kurt grinned at him impishly as he pinned on Burt's boutonnière. "Maybe just a little. I am going to go look in on Carol and give her my love, okay?"

Burt nodded distractedly before starting to fiddle with his cuff links. Kurt walked to the room in another hallway where Carol had been set up to get ready. He knocked on the door and called out, "Hi, it's me."

The door opened and Finn grinned at him. "Hey, dude! How's Burt holding up?" Finn was going to walk his mother up the aisle to give her away.

"He hasn't passed out or anything, if that's what you are asking." Kurt caught sight of Carol in her wedding dress and gasped. "_Ohhh_. Carol, you look absolutely _beautiful_! Dad is going to flip when he sees you!"

Carol smiled at him tremulously. "Thank you, honey. I feel almost like I will want to run to him rather than the slow walk we practiced!"

Kurt laughed as he hugged her. "I just wanted to check on you and wish you luck. I just know my mother is looking down and smiling right now. I want you to know I love you and I am so grateful to you for making my Dad happy. He deserves to be. Introducing you to each other was one of the best ideas I ever had, even if my original intentions weren't that great," he teased, elbowing a laughing Finn in the ribs.

Finn looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Dude, it's almost time! You'd better get back to Burt!"

Kurt gave Carol a final hug before rejoining his father. They walked together to the side entrance of the church sanctuary to await their cue to enter. Kurt caught his breath looking at the large crowd assembled. "Oh, I'm nervous now! Dad, if I pass out you better make sure Finn doesn't put it on YouTube," he joked, rubbing his dad's cold hands encouragingly.

The wedding coordinator bustled up to them with her walkie talkie in hand. "Ready, gentlemen?" she asked, beaming at them. Burt gulped but nodded vigorously. Kurt squeezed his dad's hand encouragingly and gave him a little nudge. Together, they walked out into the sanctuary and up the small steps to take their place at the front of the church to await the bridal party.

Kurt turned slightly so he could see the door where Carol's attendants would soon enter. The first pair of eyes he met were Blaine's. He was sitting with his dads, his honey gaze fixated intently on Kurt. Kurt felt his cheeks warming slightly, but he gave Blaine the tiniest hint of a smile. Blaine smiled back at him and never took his eyes off of Kurt, even when Carol and Finn walked down the aisle. He was still looking when Carol reached the altar, and even when he had to turn to watch the ceremony, Kurt could feel Blaine's eyes on him. Kurt tried to focus on the traditional words of the ceremony, still conscious of Blaine, knowing that his stare was on him like a warm caress. He listened distractedly as Burt and Carol spoke their vows to each other. Kurt gave his dad the ring and smiled lovingly at his father when Burt reached for his hand as Carol took Finn's, promising that they would now be a family. Before he knew it, Burt and Carol were married and kissing. The organ played the joyous sound of the wedding march as the happy couple made their exit back up the aisle, and the pastor invited everyone to the now Hudson-Hummel home for the reception.

* * *

><p>The wedding party stayed behind for a short time for photos then went to join the guests at the reception. Kurt walked through the gate into the yard and looked around, feeling pleased. Everything was gorgeously displayed and his friends were doing an awesome job of tending to the guests. The cake was the crowning jewel, set up to the side. The rest of the wedding party joined him and they lined up to meet and greet all the guests. Kurt stood there, feeling impatient as he smiled and shook hands with what seemed to be a never ending line of people. He wanted to get out and mingle with the guests. He wanted to check out the food and pull Rachel to the side and see how things were going with Finn, who had foregone the meet and greet to take up his self appointed position as overseer of the food. But most of all, he wanted to find Blaine. His dads had already come through the line, effusively thanking them for all they had done and to let them know they would be moving back into their house the following week. Disappointingly, though, Blaine had not been with them.<p>

Once all the guests had been received, Kurt made his way into the crowd. Finn was pouring champagne with a huge grin on his face, and Rachel was not far away, holding a large tray of incredible looking finger foods. She looked positively adorable in a ruffled dustcap that was arranged around her hair and made her eyes stand out hugely. When she saw Kurt, she bit back a squeal as she waltzed over to him with her tray.

"Guess what?" she whispered excitedly. "Finn and I are going out tonight after everything. We"re going to a movie and then out to eat. Oh, Kurt, I'm having so much fun! I can't wait!"

Kurt squeezed her arm affectionately before taking a powdered sugar dusted truffle from her tray. He savored the rich chocolatey taste as he wandered through the crowd. Now and again, someone stopped him to tell him congratulations or how smart he looked in his tuxedo. He smiled and chatted lightly as he went along. As he came to the cake, he stopped to admire the detailing on it. It was truly a beautiful confection.

Suddenly, Kurt felt a hand grasping his arm. He turned and came face to face with Blaine, who was looking at him with an intent and focused glance.

"Everyone is kissing the bride," Blaine said. "But I was wondering if it was okay to kiss the best man."

Kurt stared into his warm eyes. "Try it. See how okay you think it is." He caught his breath as strong arms captured him and he was being very thoroughly kissed. It was just like being backstage all over again. The same tingling shock raced through him, warming him all over. When they finally broke apart, Kurt stared happily into Blaine's hazel eyes.

"_You_. It was you. You were the one who kissed me backstage at McKinley," Kurt said, feeling breathless.

Blaine smiled at him, almost shyly. "How did you guess?.

Kurt smiled back at him. "I would know that kiss anywhere. The feel of your lips and how your arms feel around me."

Blaine's arms tightened around Kurt ever so slightly. "Is this even real? Do you feel the same way about me as I feel about you?"

Kurt nodded, cheeks turning pink and feeling breathless again. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"How come you never connected me with that kiss?" Blaine asked him, rubbing their noses together softly.

Kurt quirked one side of his mouth up in a half grin. "Well, it was one of the furtherest things from my mind. After all, whenever I was around it seemed like you and Rachel were fighting more often than not. And it always seemed like you were against me just on principle for being her friend."

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I know. I know it seemed that way. But Kurt, I've always loved you. Ever since the first day Rachel came dragging you to our house. You had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen in my entire life. And I always used to wonder, even back then, why it was that my goofy sister had to be the one to get in close with that gorgeous guy. Why didn't I see him first? And then, like you said, it always seemed like me against you guys in some argument."

"Just so you know, there were times I wanted to be on your side. But I was her guest and her best friend, so I felt like I couldn't really say anything. Being supportive and all," Kurt said, laughing softly.

"Well, anyway, I always wished that you were mine instead of hers. That night when we went to the fundraiser I was sitting behind you in your car. Your hair looked so soft and touchable, I wanted to run my fingers through it. And when you walked into the auditorium with Rachel, it was so graceful, like you were dancing. But then, you got on that stage. You blew my mind. You were amazing in everything, of course, but when you guys did Born This Way, I couldn't take it anymore. I knew then I had to know what it felt like to have you in my arms. So I made this plan to steal a kiss. I knew it would be dark backstage and knew that would be where I could grab you and kiss you. See how it felt without you being able to object, I guess. After, I faded back against the wall behind some props until everyone was in the changing rooms. I was pretty sure my heart was going to pound right out of my chest and I would absolutely die from love," Blaine said.

Kurt gave him a scolding look. "Do you have any idea what a quandary I was in? I didn't have the first clue who it could possibly be, and I didn't know that many boys very well."

Blaine shook his head slightly. "You thought of pretty much everybody but me. When I saw that list I came to the realization that by stealing a kiss for myself, I had instead gotten you interested in practically every guy there that night except for me."

Blaine and Kurt moved to the side when they saw Burt and Carol coming towards the cake in preparation to cut it. They each took a slice and walked towards a more private and secluded corner of the yard. Kurt smiled at Blaine again while they ate. "So tell me, why didn't you just admit to me it was you?"

Blaine looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you kidding me? It was too embarrassing. When I read that list you'd made and saw I wasn't on it, I thought you must like one of those other guys. Plus, you would have told Rachel, and she would either kill me or never let me hear the end of it."

Kurt arched a brow at Blaine. "So you just let me go on wondering? Dying to know who it was? Dreaming about it day and night?"

Blaine swallowed the cake he was chewing. "Well, what about me? After I kissed you, doing it again was all I ever thought about. But then you and Rachel had that huge fight and you weren't coming over anymore. And then after that, everytime I saw you, you with some different guy. You were practically Mr. Popularity. I figured I had completely blown it and thrown you towards all those others."

"I never even suspected that it might be you until you moved into my house," Kurt mused. "Then I started putting two and two together."

"But you always seemed to avoid me, so I ended up avoiding you, too," Blaine said.

Kurt nodded. "I think I was avoiding you because I suddenly figured out that I was very attracted to you. Does that make any sense?"

"Oh, absolutely," Blaine agreed. "I felt the exact same way. That was the main reason I decided to move out and go stay with Wes. Watching you going out with other guys was complete agony. I couldn't take the torture any more."

Carol had appeared on the back deck dressed in her travel clothes. The conversation among the guests got more excited as she prepared to toss her wedding bouquet. Several young girls and ladies assembled around the deck to catch it, and there was a loud cheer as the young daughter of one of Carol's friends came up triumphant.

"I'm almost surprised Rachel wasn't all up in that," laughed Blaine as he looked for her.

Kurt smiled with amusement as they spotted her standing over to one side, chatting animatedly to Finn, who was holding onto her every word with a rather besotted look on his face. "It's probably just as well. I think Finn has enough on his plate right now with the fabulous Miss Berry without her contemplating wedding bells. Let us get out of school, at least."

"Right. Besides, I may be her big brother, but I would just as soon get along with Finn," Blaine laughed. "Anyway, would you go out with me tonight? I know of this great place we can go dancing. You can dress in one of your awesome outfits and I can show you off."

Kurt practically bounced in his excitement. "It's a date!"

Blaine squeezed his hand. "I can't wait." He saw a group of boys gathering and pointed towards them. "Look, there's Wes, come meet him, okay? He's my best friend and a Warbler, too. We are going to sing a song for your dad and his wife."

Wes raised his eyebrows when he saw Blaine walking towards him with the biggest smile on his face he had ever seen and holding hands with a tall, good looking boy with pale skin and incredibly blue eyes. He grinned widely at them "Kurt Hummel, I presume?"

Kurt blushed and smiled shyly at him. "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking the proffered hand Wes held out to him. Wes gave Blaine an exaggerated thumbs up, making both Kurt and Blaine turn red and laugh.

"Okay, big guy, let's go sing and get the newlyweds on their way!" Wes said, pushing Blaine along in front of him.

Kurt stood at the front of the wedding crowd, dancing and applauding with everyone as the Warblers performed Silly Love Songs, followed by New Directions performing Marry You. He was moved to tears when Finn moved to the front of the stage and referred to the two of them as "Furt," then jumped down to grab him in a bear hug before leading him around in a dance while singing Just The Way You Are.

Finally, Burt and Carol were ready to leave. They ran through the crowd, laughing as they were pelted with confetti and bird seed. (Kurt's doves and glitter idea had been rejected, not that he minded all _that_ much.) New Directions had decorated Burt's truck and JUST MARRIED was across the back, along with several soda cans tied to the bumper. Burt and Carol laughed as they blew kisses and yelled their goodbyes before driving away to catch their flight.

After they left, Blaine and Kurt walked towards the house with their arms around each other. "I'm going to teach you how to fence," Blaine said, smiling at Kurt.

"And I am going to teach you proper skin care," Kurt said, laughing.

"So, what do you think Rachel will say about this, once she figures it out?" Blaine asked, his eyes twinkling.

Kurt pretended to shudder, then laughed. "We may want to break it to her gently. I figure she will most likely freak out totally one way or the other, either in agony or ecstasy. You know Rachel, after all."

"That I do," Blaine laughed. He gave Kurt a teasing look. "So, what will you do about all those kiss suspects now? Since you know I'm the one who did it?"

Kurt grinned at him. "What other suspects? The mystery is solved. I have my guy. And you'll be the one and only." He closed his eyes as Blaine leaned towards him, their lips meeting again in the sweetest of kisses.

* * *

><p><strong>Next up: The epilogue<strong>

**ittlebitz . tumblr . com**


	12. Epilogue: A New Day

**Okay, everyone, here it is! The Epilogue!**

**I am both happy and sad as I post this. I have enjoyed writing this so very much, and the response to it has been more than astounding. I am humbled and amazed, and I thank everyone who alerted, read, and reviewed from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for supporting me in this and I wish you all love and Klainebows and everything in this world that is wonderful.**

**So, without further adieu...**

**Epilogue: A New Day**

Kurt sat on the auditorium stage next to Rachel as they listened to Principal Figgins give a rather long winded and rambling speech before introducing the graduating class. They both looked good in their McKinley caps and gowns, Rachel with her white cap artfully arranged on her long, dark curls and Kurt with his red cap set at a slight backwards tilt to as not to ruin the effect of his carefully coiffed hair. They had both worked very hard in their studies and their efforts had paid off. Rachel had given a wonderful speech of welcome as the salutatorian of their class and when the entire class had received their diplomas, Kurt would close the ceremony with his valedictory speech. A mere two tenths of a point separated their GPAs, not that anyone was counting, except maybe Rachel, who _wasn't_ bitter. Really.

Kurt and Rachel had strengthened their friendship bond. The fight that nearly ended their friendship for good became something they both learned from. They learned to be close and the best of friends, yet be more independent and have their own lives as well. They were popular and well liked. Kurt had been co-captain of Cheerios with Santana. Rachel became manager of the football team. Together, they had been an unstoppable force in Glee and had two Nationals trophies to their credit. Rachel had been Kurt's campaign manager in his successful bid for Senior Class president, and when Rachel won the talent crown in the Senior Class pageant, no one had cheered louder than Kurt. And to their endless amusement, they had been crowned homecoming King and Queen. Their picture with Kurt smiling broadly, wearing the Queen's tiara and Rachel proudly sporting the King's crown was among their favorites and had been featured in the yearbook.

Senior year had been very good, indeed.

Kurt looked over the crowd, searching. Finally, he saw his Dad and Carol, sitting with Blaine and his dads. When he caught Blaine's eye, Blaine winked at him and made the smallest pursing of his lips in a kissing motion. Kurt surreptitiously pursed his lips in return. Idly, his hand reached up to feel the chain around his neck, hidden under his robes, that held Blaine's senior class ring from Dalton. He had worn it like this for over a year now, ever since last summer when Blaine had asked him to wear it the night after his own graduation.

So much had happened since the Hudson-Hummel wedding, when Kurt and Blaine had finally confessed their feelings to each other. To their surprise, Rachel had been utterly delighted that her best friend and her brother had fallen for each other and had lamented that she hadn't thought of the idea first and been the one to bring them together. She and Finn had double dated with Kurt and Blaine on multiple occasions, until Blaine and Rachel came to the mutual agreement that they wanted to be able to do things, such as make out with their boyfriends, without being witness to what the other was doing. Kurt and Finn had been in total agreement, and though they still occasionally went out as a foursome, it was rather rare.

Of course, like any teenage couple, Kurt and Blaine had their share of dramatic moments. Their first big argument, a particularly spectacular fight (that neither actually remembered the reason for) had ended with loud shouts, slammed doors, and anxious, secret texts between Finn and Rachel, each of whom were trying to console an emotionally devastated sibling. Then there was the apology for said fight where they met each other, literally midway between their houses, each breathless, tearful, and sorrowful for the hurtful things each had said, their words quickly drowned out in frantic kisses as they held each other tight.

But mostly, they were happy together. Their first Valentines Day together had been filled with candlelight, roses, and cute stuffed animals holding hearts. They had gone to Kurt's Junior and Senior Prom at McKinley, as well as Blaine's Senior formal at Dalton. They had explored each other, starting slowly and tenderly, always above the waist and over the clothes until one day they grew more daring and went _under the clothes_. Eventually, the need to be closer, _closer_ than close happened and together they had experimented, each learning from the other which touches prompted soft sighs and which touches produced moans of pleasure. When finally they took that final step of culminating their physical relationship, it had been mutually pleasurable and emotionally satisfying for them both, and each felt even more wholly connected to the other.

When Blaine got his collegiate acceptance letter to study music in New York, Kurt had squealed and held him tightly in celebration and encouragement, holding back his tears until he was able to be alone with Rachel and shed them where Blaine couldn't see. Rachel had held and comforted Kurt again, the first night Blaine was gone away to university and Kurt had made himself an emotional wreck, sure Blaine would meet some older sophisticated guy at school and forget Kurt altogether. But after the initial pain of separation and several long and serious discussions about how breaking up was most definitely NOT what either wanted, Blaine and Kurt had both managed to survive the last year. Skype, of course, was a main contributing factor. That, and taking full advantage of any time Blaine managed to come home for weekends. Much of that time was spent intertwined in one way or another, whether it be writhing together in ecstasy or just holding each other, listening to each other's heartbeat and to the quiet sound of the other breathing.

Kurt had been in attendance when Blaine had given his valediction at his graduation, and now, Blaine was here to witness Kurt give his own. Kurt sighed quietly to himself, managing to contain all the happiness he felt bubbling up so that he kept his calm demeanor onstage rather than sitting there grinning like an infatuated fool, even if that was more the truth. He and Rachel both had earned multiple scholarships to assist them with their college careers. Rachel had been accepted into NYADA and he had been accepted at the Fashion Institute of Technology. They would be together in New York. And best of all, he would finally be close to Blaine again.

Belatedly, he realized that Principal Figgins had finally wrapped up and was introducing the graduating class. Artie Abrams was rolling across the stage, his wheelchair decorated with streamers in McKinley colors. Kurt applauded politely for each classmate until-

_"Rachel Barbra Berry!"_

Rachel beamed brightly as she jumped up and went to Principal Figgins to accept her diploma. She blew kisses to her dads and Blaine, who were all applauding wildly, as well as Burt and Carol, who were applauding just as enthusiastically. She then turned and blew a kiss to a grinning and clapping Finn before running to Kurt. He swept her up into a hug and spun her around, then put her back down, each jokingly adjusting their robes and trying to look dignified.

Rachel returned to her seat to watch the rest of their class be announced to receive their diplomas. She smiled fondly at Kurt as he ran his fingers lightly over the chain he wore that had Blaine's ring on it. As much as she regretted the whole argument she and Kurt had, she felt like they had become better people for it. They were each stronger, and now being on the cusp of her future, there was no one she trusted more to journey with her than Kurt.

The fact that Kurt and Blaine were a couple had somehow never seemed uncomfortable to Rachel. Were there times where she felt trapped in the middle or unable to decide between them? Of course there were, but fortunately those times were few and far in between. They so obviously made each other happy, and she loved them both so much. She couldn't fathom anyone else who could possible suit either of them more than each other. And that made her happy.

Rachel also adored Kurt's dad and stepmom. Burt had always treated her like his own daughter anyway, but Carol had been the icing on the cake. She was always there to listen if Rachel needed her and was the mother figure Rachel had never known she wanted or needed. Carol was a strong woman that had managed to balance being a single mother with a demanding full time career, and Rachel respected her highly. The times that she and Finn argued, and even the time they actually broke up for a time, Rachel could thank Carol and Kurt for being there for her and helping her through. That they were able to support her and Finn at the same time was testimony to their strength, and Rachel often added prayers of thanks for the fact that she and Kurt had mended things and that she was part of the Hudmel household.

Rachel and Kurt were going to be together in New York, just like they had always dreamed. She was sad about being separated from Finn, but he was going to play football for Ohio State. Just because they had different dreams that took them in different directions didn't mean they couldn't love each other. They had spent several emotional hours one Saturday deciding on whether or not to try a long distance relationship or to just break up and try to move on. Each had been insecure about what they other might find at college and that they would no longer be enough for each other. But in the end, they had decided to try to make it work. If Kurt and Blaine could do it, maybe they could as well. They had excellent role models, after all.

And finally, Rachel was about to live her dream. New York had always seemed so far away at time, so unreachable. Yet before long she would join her brother and her best friend and be a part of The City That Never Sleeps. Get ready, world, Miss Rachel Berry is on her way.

_"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!"_

Blaine applauded loudly along with Burt, Carol and his dads as Kurt stood to accept his diploma and accolades. When Kurt jokingly made a mock curtesy to the crowd and tipped his mortarboard, Blaine saw a tell tale sparkle. His smile threatened to split his face in half as the letters KH and BA were plainly Bedazzled for all to see.

Blaine was so proud of his sister. She had grown up into quite the young lady, and he was constantly blown away by her drive and her extreme confidence. He had no doubt that she would conquer anything and everything in order to achieve her dreams. They had actually gotten closer since he had started dating Kurt, and now considered themselves the best of friends. There had been times that he had depended on her insight and knowledge of Kurt to help him, whether it be the best way to surprise Kurt, the perfect gift idea, or how best to grovel for forgiveness. And Rachel had been completely supportive of him and Kurt as they strived to make a long distance relationship successful. There had been many a time Rachel had comforted him on a late night phone call or assured him that of course, Kurt loved him even if he was miles and hours away and that no, Kurt absolutely was not going to move on with someone else. And he had been equally there for her as she worried over Nationals, fretted over her scholarship applications and her ups and downs with Finn. Their fathers had been delighted with them and their family was even tighter knit than ever.

And Blaine was proud of Kurt as well. He remembered Kurt telling him after he found out he was Dalton's valedictorian that he was so proud of him and proud to be with him, and his emotional response. Now a year later, it was Blaine bursting with pride and love as he watched Kurt stroll confidently to the podium to give his own speech as class valedictorian. Blaine sat there, spellbound, as Kurt spoke eloquently and confidently of the future and what it entailed for himself and his classmates.

_"...when you leave here today, celebrate what you have accomplished but look forward with an eye toward how you too can be the inspiration for others. We are young, and we have all the time in the world to get adventurous. The future is ours for the taking and ours for the making. So, I say to you all: Rule wisely. Rule fabulously._

_Congratulations, McKinley High Class of 2013! We did it! Join me now for the traditional swapping sides of the tassel!"_

Wild applause, whistles and stomping of feet greeted Kurt as he lead the class in moving the tassels of their mortarboards from the right side to the left. As soon as the switch was made, the students removed their caps and tossed them into the air in victorious celebration, whooping and cheering.

Blaine stood and hugged Burt, Carol and his dads before making his way to the back of the auditorium. He waited patiently for the crowd to thin out and for pictures to be made. There were plenty of tears falling and hugs being given. Rachel found him and hugged him tightly as she cried into his neck for a moment before giving him a blinding smile. She told him she would see him later at the house for the graduation party their dads and Kurt's parents were throwing for them, and left, fingers tightly intertwined with Finn's.

Finally, Blaine saw Kurt making his way towards him. He had a broad smile on his face and was holding his bedazzled cap in his hands, along with his diploma. When he reached Blaine, they just looked at each other for a moment before leaning for a soft kiss.

"Congratulations, Kurt. I am pretty sure I was the proudest guy in the audience today," Blaine said softly against Kurt's lips before pressing his own against their softness again.

"It's so surreal. I can't believe any of it. That I won't be running laps while Coach Sylvester yells in her bullhorn at us to go faster. I won't be trying to figure out the latest Glee assignment. I won't be smiling politely as Ms. Pillsbury tries to give me yet another pamphlet," Kurt said with a low chuckle. His eyes were misty and showed evidence of tears already shed.

Blaine said, "I know. Adulthood awaits! But we have all summer to relax and enjoy before tackling the Big Apple. Together. I can't wait, Kurt."

Kurt gave him a watery smile and sniffled. "You always make me feel better, Blaine. Always." His smile got wider and more mischievous. "So, Handsome, got a date to this big throw down tonight?"

"I'll have you know, sir, that I have a boyfriend. He's gorgeous, smart, and oh, so talented in so many different ways that still blow my mind. He's a college guy, you know, like me," Blaine said with a cheeky grin.

"Hmmmm, sounds like a catch," Kurt said, raising his nose in the air slightly with his own impish smile.

"You'd better believe it," Blaine said, serious now.

They walked out to Blaine's waiting Jeep, arms around each other's waists. When they got to it, Blaine couldn't resist kissing Kurt once more before unlocking the door. Kurt removed his red graduation gown and sighed in relief, leaning in to toss it in the back and giving an appreciative Blaine a tantalizing glimpse of his behind, which was, true to form, clad in snug fitting black trousers.

Blaine got Kurt seated before he quickly climbed into the driver's side. He was starting to get nervous now as the plan he had formulated was ready to unfold. Blaine leaned into the back seat and grabbed the single red rose he had hidden away. He handed it to Kurt, whose eyes widened in surprise before a beautiful smile crossed his face.

"Feel like taking a ride?" Blaine asked, smiling hopefully.

Kurt held to rose up to smell its fragrance and nodded, still smiling. Blaine put the Jeep into gear and started driving, holding his hand out until Kurt place his own into it. Blaine drove them to one of the back entrances of the auditorium. He put the Jeep in park and gestured Kurt to get out. Kurt looked surprised, but nodded and got out.

Blaine opened the door and propped it open so that the outdoor light illuminated inside somewhat. He pulled Kurt inside and walked them to the spot where so long ago, he had hidden, waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal a kiss. Kurt's eyes widened when he saw two red roses laying on a stack of boxes. He glanced at Blaine before reaching out and taking them.

"The beginning," Blaine said softly, brushing his lips against Kurt's. He grinned and led Kurt back to the Jeep. Putting it back into gear, he pulled out of the parking lot. Neither of them said anything, but Blaine glanced at Kurt often from the side of his eye. Kurt was holding the roses to his nose, smiling softly. Blaine smiled as he pulled up to The Lima Bean.

Blaine quickly jumped out and ran around to open the door for Kurt, offering him a hand to get out. Keeping Kurt's hand in his own, Blaine walked into the coffee shop, breathing deep of the coffee scent and trying to calm his nerves. He smiled at the girl behind the counter, who winked back at him. When Kurt stepped forward to place his order, she reached under the counter and with a huge smile, she handed him three red roses. Kurt was stunned for a moment and looked at her in open mouth surprise before reaching out with hands that trembled slightly and took them. He added them to the bunch he held in his hands and smiled at Blaine, blue eyes swimming with tears but full of love.

_"Blaine,_" Kurt whispered, feeling like the love in his heart would overwhelm him. He waited while Blaine ordered their coffees to go, and when they had their order, they went back out to Blaine's Jeep. Blaine drove them to Kurt's house and led Kurt to the back yard. He crossed over to the corner, where they had shared their second kiss. The kiss that ended months of frustration and loneliness and began their journey together. Kurt swallowed a sob as Blaine reached behind a tree and presented him with six more red roses, making a perfect dozen.

Blaine licked his lips nervously, heart pounding. He took one of Kurt's hands in his own and looked into the depths of color that made up his eyes. "Kurt. There comes a time when you say to yourself, 'Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever.' I think for me, about you, that moment was the first time you came into my house, hand in hand with my sister. I didn't realize it at the time, but that cute boy with the gorgeous eyes was going to be so much more than a crush. I love you, Kurt. And I am _so glad_ that fate, or destiny, or whatever force it is, brought you into my life and that you were willing to give me a chance and be with me."

Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box, drawing a gasp from Kurt, who now had tears streaming down his cheeks. Blaine took a deep breath and said, "I know that we are still young and have a lot of living to do. But, you're it for me Kurt. I know that. And I know that I want to spend my life with you and that one day we will make it official. But in the meantime, will you wear this promise ring for me?" He opened the box and held it out for Kurt to see.

Kurt felt like he could hardly breathe. The band inside was silver, with a soft pattern etched around it. He looked up at Blaine, who was anxiously watching him.

"The band is white gold. I had our names engraved on the inside," Blaine said, praying he wouldn't pass out from nerves.

Kurt sniffled and managed a shaky laugh. "Could you possibly be any more perfect? Of course, I'll wear it, you crazy, wonderful, romantic idiot!" He held out his hand to Blaine, who was smiling so big his face hurt. Blaine pulled the ring out of the box and slid it onto Kurt's finger before raising his hand for a lingering kiss.

Kurt eyed the shiny circle surrounding his finger and sighed. "You thought of everything, didn't you? What if I had said no?" he teased, wiping tears from his eyes while he smiled happily.

"Then I would have had no choice but to let Rachel go forward with _her _idea for my asking you. Besides, there is no way I could possibly let my hot boyfriend come to the big city without my staking a claim," Blaine said, only partly teasing.

They walked into Kurt's house, where their parents, Finn and Rachel were all waiting, anticipation on all of their faces. Rachel's eyes went immediately to Kurt's hand, and she squealed loudly before launching herself at them both, hugging first Blaine and then Kurt with equal fierceness. Burt nodded approvingly to Blaine, having been approached for his permission several weeks ago, and Carol wiped happy tears off her face. Blaine's dads had Kurt wrapped up in a tight embrace. Finn grinned happily at them all.

Once they finally got away from their families, Kurt and Blaine went up to Kurt's room, hand in hand with Blaine's finger lovingly stroking the ring on Kurt's finger. They were young and in love, and as far as each was concerned, life just didn't get any better.

And it was only beginning.

* * *

><p><em><strong>FINIS<strong>_


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